Dog Mulch "Ground Hound" CD
[self-released]
Despite what the name might have you believe, this is a one-man death metal band, complete with drum machine. I'll begin with a few pointers for this guy before I get to the real review. 1. Don't call your band Dog Mulch, it's a stupid name that reeks of immaturity and doesn't properly represent your work unless you're a joke project. 2. Demos shouldn't be 50 minutes long. Don't beat people over the head with it, pick the best song's you've recorded to date, keep it short but sweet, and hopefully leave an impression. 3. The CD-R coming in a slim jewel case with a pink tray and a shoddily printed color insert with impaled dog heads collaged on the front is about what you'd expect from a project called Dog Mulch. Come up with a better looking package after you come up with a better band name. Now, I wouldn't have gone to all that trouble if I didn't think this guy had some actual talent. Is this a great demo? No, it's not. That's just a fact. However, it is fairly well played and tolerably recorded considering, so even though there are significant problems with it, there are a lot of good things about it as well. The songs are pretty simple and tend to change from riff to riff without a lot of repeating or actual song structure, and that's the chief problem I have with this. Sure, the drum machine is a little annoying/flimsy, but the beats work against the guitar parts. The vocal growls are good, though. And the guitar tone sounds similar to Obituary, as do some of the slower riffs (which easily could've been at home on "Cause of Death"). There's a good range of tempos, so in that regard the material's not stagnant, it's just not that memorable. It's sort of a blur until he hits the crushing slow rhythms. As for the sound, it's dominated by guitars, with the vocals sliding in just underneath, and the drums sort of sounding separated off to the side of the music - clearer, and flatter than the guitars and vocals. Aside from the guitars peaking to distortion though, thickening up the drum machines is all that really needs to be messed with. I think there might be some distorted bass in there, and if so I'd give that some more room as well. I don't know anything about this guy or how seriously he takes this stuff, but I'm dead serious when I say he should consider changing the band name to something slightly more serious or applicable. Because with a little bit of work on the songwriting this material could probably earn its way onto a split 7" or compilation alongside some notable acts. It's not nearly as bad as you' expect upon first seeing the demo in your hands. If this only included its five best songs (give or take) it might've been able to squeeze a 5/10 out of me, but... there's too much filler. 50 minutes is a long fuckin' time. (3/10)
Running time - 50:34, Tracks: 24
[Notable tracks: Gut Munching Zombies, Splattered and Shattered, Rotting Brain, Inbred Insanity]
Dog Mulch - goatbleeder666@yahoo.com

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