Three tracks of brutal death metal with lots of groove, guttural low vocals, a few pinch harmonics, a couple of speedier moments, etc. Obviously I think the recording needs work because it's just a demo, but I think that with a better sound and a tighter performance some of this stuff could be alright. The guitar tone is really thick, and I like the bass tone, but the drums are too loud and there are some falters with the drumming. The vocals are well placed in the mix, it's just that everything needs more space and clarity as a whole. The quick melodic aspects of "Cross Contamination" aren't that hot, I don't think that's something these cats need to be fiddling with. The vicious breakdowns and faster Cannibal Corpse-esque riffs midway through the same track are far more powerful. I'm definitely into the fact that some of the simpler rhythms are geared towards the classic Florida death metal sound, but I would like to hear more tempo changes and less "groove". Plus the presentation stinks. The CD-R comes in a plain white jacket with a shoddy xeroxed insert that contains lyrics, the band logo, and some recording information, but everything is totally pixilated and just looks like an enormously unprofessional mess. The lyrics deal with violence, revenge, and antichristian themes, but they're pretty immature, due in part to a lot of forced rhyming: "I'm in every shadow, Wait for the perfect time, To uncover myself, Take your life and make it mine..." Ugh, no thanks. Truth be told this band will be generic no matter what, but when they calm down the pinch harmonics and overly groovy shit they can be pretty effective (see "Stalked"). If they work at it they could be a normal death metal band with no frills, but who knows?
[self-released]
Running time - 9:29, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: Stalked]
Pale Existence - http://www.paleexistence.tk
