This band is a side project featuring in its ranks bassist/vocalist Steve Gaines (Abattoir), guitarists Jim Durkin (Dark Angel) and Marcelo Lima (Mastaba), and Al Mendez on drums. As one might expect, they play thrash. And to be quite honest these songs contain some of the best thrash riffs I've heard in a damn long time. There's a definite old school thrash vibe, but there is also some unexpected melody (in both some of the rhythms and the solos), and at the same time there are some more modern thrash elements as well (slightly groovier passages and such). I'm not really reminded of any of the members' former bands so much as a combination of Control Denied and Iced Earth, with a rawer, more thrashy edge all around. I think it's mainly some of the interesting chord progressions and the vocal harmonies that bring the aforementioned bands to mind. "Eyes That Burn the Soul" even brings in some progressive elements. Running more than seven minutes the track is a bit slower and starts out with some sitar sounding parts and even introduces some keyboard textures. The main thing holding this demo back from being rather incredible is the fact that the recording is terrible. Gaines' vocals sound pretty good in most areas, almost always doubled, but they are entirely too loud and sound slightly distorted (unintentionally). I can't really make out much bass at all, the guitars sound decent but tend to get drowned out, and the drums... oh, the drums... I swear, it's got to be a drum machine!? I can't imagine it being possible for anyone to make live drumming sound this machinated? Can it be? I don't know... it really sounds like a drum machine - everything is very clicky and rigid, and the cymbals sound completely digital, especially in "Swarm". I'd also get rid of the keyboards, because they really don't serve a purpose in my opinion. With a better mix and natural drum tones these songs would kick ass. Turn up the guitars, crank the bass, drop the vocals back in with the music, and warm up those drums... there's no way a rager like "March of the Pissed" could fail under such circumstances. The package is, well... about as simple as it gets. The CD comes in a clear plastic sleeve with a black and white card insert that has a gray background and the band name and track titles printed on the front in black. That's that. No lyrics, no contact information, nothing. Ahhh well... I can say this: It's only a rough demo, and it gets my hopes up that these guys will do something more down the road, because I'd be all over this if the production was appropriate. It wouldn't hurt for future efforts to have something more going on in the visual department as well, but I'm sure that won't be an issue.
[self-released]
Running time - 19:52, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: March of the Pissed, Swarm]
Pagan War Machine - http://www.paganwarmachine.com
