Ghidrah “1996 demo” CS

Ever heard of this band? No? Well rest assured, you're not alone. I picked up this demo from Very Distribution seven or eight years ago on a whim because I was trolling for new bands to check out and this tape was being compared to Candiria at the time. Aside from a hefty dose of creativity and plenty of odd time signatures and quick stylistic shifts, I disagree, it actually sounds a hell of a lot more like the almighty Burn (to the point where, if you like Burn, there's very little reason not to be all over these tracks), but whatever the case: This demo is incredible and I can't believe this band passed by unnoticed.

So who were they? I honestly don't know shit about 'em other than what's printed inside the demo: Bee J on vocals, Mark 1 on guitar, Napoleon on bass, and Danielito on drums; recorded at Raw Recordings by Jean-Christophe Santalis in the summer and autumn of 1996; and a New City, NY P.O. Box address listed alongside two (914) phone numbers for contact information. That's it. The last two tracks below aren't listed on the cover, and the banter at the start of the live track (whose complete title I can't make out due to guitar feedback) mentions an alleged album that the band was working on, but I've never been able to document whether or not said album might actually exist. Just the other day I emailed the recording studio where the demo was tracked just in the off chance that someone there might have even a faint smidge of information on that topic, but that's all I've got to go on for now. If you know anything at all about these guys, definitely shoot me a line.

Meanwhile, enjoy the jams:

1. "Phoenix"
2. "I Am Halfsick of Shadows"
3. "Waltz: Golden Staircase"
4. "Indian Caravan"
5. "Ashes & Garlic" (unlisted, recorded live)
6. "Outro" (unlisted)

As for side notes, apparently Handsome did in fact record a follow-up full-length that was never released. Someone out there has to have this, and that someone needs to hook me up immediately. Seriously, if you've got a quality copy of the recordings, I'll pay for that shit. No joke. I simply must hear those songs. There's just no fuckin' around about that! So please, if you have that material, send me an email—I'd really appreciate it.

Also note that former Worlds Collide vocalist Matt Burger left a comment on that post a little while back correcting some misinformation that other folks had speculated about in earlier comments as far as the band's first show, their demo recordings, and so on. Interesting stuff.