DEMISER are back and on a mission to scare your parents. Since its inception, heavy metal has made the masses uncomfortable. While that wasn’t initially the intention, it was certainly the result. After finding they – and the rest of Birmingham – had little in common with the ‘Flower Power’ craze that had swept the Western world in the early to mid-1960s, BLACK SABBATH gave the world a darker look at the blues. The music that emerged from those four men came to define a genre, and metal was born. Everything about them was counter-culture, and for decades that’s how the world has seen metal bands. From Satanic Panic in the 80s to the cries of “it’s just noise” at anything without clean vocals and frank lyrics discussing mental health, metal unsettles people. And for many, that’s kind of the point. But if it feels as though all a band is trying to do is prove how dark and heavy they are, they risk coming across as inauthentic. It’s walking the tightrope of street cred, and DEMISER are clinging to every last fibre.
When the band is made up of Demiser The Demiser – occult liturgic blasphemy; Gravepisser – six-stringed satanic fukklord; Phallomancer – abysmal rhythm of death; Defiler – dismal baritone curator; and Infestor – purveyor of percussive bile, there can be little doubt about what the end game is. DEMISER‘s brand of thrash meets black metal is loud, dark, fast, and in places lyrically disturbing. But in 2024 is that enough? Image and shock value can only carry a band so far. Slave To The Scythe is everything the band says it is. It’s an uncompromising soundtrack to the path of destruction, where subtlety and nuance are in short supply, and that’s both its biggest strength and biggest weakness.
Opening track Feast sets the stage with a slow building drum solo of an intro that launches into a screaming cacophony of thrash metal chaos. Some of the production on the vocals is a little messy, but the band are in top gear. The drums are crisp and powerful, while the guitar work is a joy to behold. Slave To The Scythe and Carbureted Speed (a song about doing cocaine and riding choppers) are more of the same but it’s on Phallomancer The Phallomancer that the quintet truly flex their creative muscles. The track is full throttle from the outset, giving the listener little time to breathe. As the drums and wiring guitar rhythms thunder away, the vocals snarl and growl in the style of every demonic possession from every horror film you care to name. But there’s more to the song than brute force. Old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll flourishes make a welcome appearance before another ripping guitar solo takes over. If the band can be guilty of being style over substance on occasion, here the music matches the bravado.
The Interlude that follows is an acoustic palate cleanser and provides more questions than answers. Its melodic sensibility gives a glimpse at a totally different side to the band, one where they’re doing more than trying to be more than just as heavy and dark as possible. It is equal parts refreshing and equal parts frustrating. The band clearly have the ability to broaden their sound so you’re left wondering why they don’t. Normal service is resumed with Total Demise and Hell Is Full Of Fire. The final section of the latter provides a great slice of pure heavy metal madness. Infernal Bust is the perfect encapsulation of the band’s modus operandi. The lyrics are suitably gory and set against a backdrop of ferocious and aggressive riffs. Things threaten to lose their way before the end, but the guitar solo quickly snaps the song back into focus.
On closing track In Nomine Baphomet the band search for an epic finish, but fail to stick the landing. It’s a shade over eight minutes long and there isn’t enough going on to justify that runtime. Instead of a new and exciting journey, the song is an extended version of what listeners have already heard, although the fade out at the end nicely mirrors the slow building intro on the opening track. DEMISER is packed with talented musicians but on Slave To The Scythe they’re trying too hard too often. The band are broody, dark, and aggressive, but it feels like they’re leaning into the image for the sake of it. There are undoubtedly good moments on the album but it struggles for originality. For fans of fast riffs and towering guitar solos, there’s plenty to enjoy, but for those wanting more, the search will go on.
Rating: 6/10
Slave To The Scythe is set for release on August 23rd via Metal Blade Records/Blacklight Media.
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