First things first: Demos should not run 40+ minutes. This is supposed to be a demo, not a full-length record. Secondly, unless your band is either really good or simply writes nothing but long songs, don't open your demo with an eight-minute track. The reason that harms this demo is that this is basically typical melodic Swedish death metal without a lot of variety or dynamic shifts, so there's really no need for such long songs that sort of wander back and forth without making any significant leaps in delivery. The writing is okay, there are some nice traditional metal riffs, energetic tempos, frequent heavy breaks, decent dual guitar harmonies, ample tremolo picking, etc. And for a demo the production is listenable, the mix is pretty even and despite being raw and the tones do work out alright in the end. The vocals could stand to be less dominant and they definitely need more clarity and overall punch, but it's just a demo, so screw it. The performances are alright as well. Now and then things get a little choppy or there might be a prominent falter during a lead break, and those are areas that need to be worked on, but I've heard worse. I guess the biggest problem here is that the songwriting is boring. As mentioned the longer songs suffer from a lack of dynamics and don't really go anywhere, and the same can be said for some of the shorter songs as well. There are generally a few strong riffs per track that sort of regain the listener's interest, but as a whole there's not a lot to grab you. I'm also not big on the vocals just because the lower growls/shouts sound really strained, and the high sneering lacks ferocity, so... that element definitely needs to step it up a notch. There are some actual signing vocals on rare occasion as well, and to be honest those are the most painful of all, as the notes just aren't being hit dead on and there's no real emphasis, it's all sort of strained and lacking in confidence. The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case with an insert printed from a home computer onto gray paper. The artwork is minimal, the text tiny, and no lyrics are included, so it's a pretty stripped down affair. My only real comment would be that the band logo needs some work, as the stylized skull icon isn't really doing anyone any favors. I feel bad giving this such a low rating because there's a certain level of competency and effort represented here, but I really don't like any of these songs very much. The cover of "Everything Counts" could've been okay but the vocals are terrible, and let's face it, In Flames already did it and it seems an odd choice to cover a song already covered by a band that seems influential to your own. "The Shadow That Haunts Me" comes the closest to winning me over, but nothing really does the trick. Sorry.
[self-released]
Running time - 41:31, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: none of them really do much for me]
Fueled by Failure - http://www.fueledbyfailure.com
