Here's some damn cool hardcore from Sweden with a lot of quirkiness to it. There's a little bit of a metalcore vibe, a little bit of a math rock/indie thing going on, and they've got some of that pseudo technical and discordant stuff happening as well. But it's all better than average, and they blend the styles together fluidly to form songs that are both interesting and rather memorable. The performance is tight too, which really helps matters. Hell, "The Unveiling" is even a little bit melodic, and it's catchy as hell. The vocals are generally straight screams, but there are some borderline spoken passages as well. "A Swarm of Those" is more rhythmic both in the vocal arrangements and musically, placing a lot of emphasis on the basslines and the percussion. This is just good stuff. The songs tend to be really short and energetic, with no absence of changeups to keep things moving along. After about 10 minutes of blank space at the end of the disc there's a raw live (I think) track that basically sounds like a bunch of noise with brutal growling vocals. I don't really know what that's all about, but whatever... For a self-released demo this thing sounds great. I love the natural drum tones, the bass is audible, the guitars are clear and pretty heavy (varying from smooth and crisp to slightly dirty and a bit heavier), and the vocals sound great. I might mix the bass a bit louder and drop the vocals back ever so slightly, but it's really not a big deal, because they've done a great job. The layout is all black and white (xeroxes) and looks pretty good. All of the visuals are designs created by collaging together images of hands, and the text is very crisp and consistent. One song has Swedish lyrics, but everything else is in English, and the lyrical content revolves around personal issues - even though it seems as though there is a deeper message at times. "Every hour every minute, satisfaction guaranteed, The size and shape and the color codes are my guidelines, In catalogs I find ointment for my aching vacant heart, My cravings are of divine origin, I'll do anything to fill the void, They'll empty your mind and fill it with nonsense and lies, Starving and in neglect, glamour is my guide." I wish this was a longer demo, because I'm totally digging this. I'd love to hear a full-length from this band.
[self-released]
Running time - 13:34, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: The Unveiling, A Swarm of Those, For Those it May Concern]
Rentokiller - http://www.rentokiller.tk
