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░ ██ ██ Artist: Demon Bitch ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Death is Hanging... / Demon Bitch █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-12-21 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Heavy Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Dystopian Dogs ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Compilation ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Upon originally hearing this demo, I wasn't really █
█ expecting much; a generic name, fairly generic █
█ cover (I mean, I like topless busty women as much █
█ as the next guy, but it's been done to death) and █
█ 2012 release date, plus a genre listing of simply █
█ "heavy metal" didn't set the bar very high. I went █
█ to YouTube, fully expecting some Skull Fist clone █
█ or something so amateurish and poorly produced as █
█ to be completely unlistenable, but boy was I █
█ wrong. This is ambitious, complex, dense stuff █
█ with a pretty polarizing vocalist and a tempo that █
█ makes the music hard to absorb, but it's █
█ definitely good stuff. Hailing from Michigan, █
█ birthplace of such esoteric metal bands as █
█ Enchanter/Longings Past, Coven (13), and more █
█ recently, Borrowed Time, Demon Bitch had a tough █
█ legacy to live up to but have done so with grace █
█ and prowess. █
█ 'Heavy metal' is really a pretty lacking █
█ descriptor for this group, as it's got strong █
█ power/speed influence as well as incorporating █
█ some neoclassical elements. It's pretty out-there █
█ stuff, but the closest comparison I can make is █
█ definitely a sped-up version of Cauldron Born's █
█ Born of the Cauldron; the obtuse, constantly █
█ changing riffs and oddly piercing vocalist are █
█ definitely quite similar, although Demon Bitch █
█ don't have the obsession with technicality or █
█ tendency to include doom influences that Bentley █
█ had with that album. Vocalist Logon Saton does █
█ sound sort of like a thinner, more nasal version █
█ of Cauldron Born's Danny White, but there's better █
█ comparisons to be made. His nasal quality and █
█ mournful tone definitely evoke heavy/doom █
█ powerhouse Phil Swanson, and his high, wailing █
█ theatrics bring to mind Hell's brilliant former █
█ frontman, Dave Halliday (RIP). █
█ The band's songwriting ability is quite good; █
█ while there's definitely room for improvement, █
█ it's quite competent for a first release, and █
█ their intricacy is really astounding. The riffing █
█ style is quite similar to Cauldron Born's, with █
█ constant, galloping lines underneath fast, █
█ unusually dissonant leads that eventually explode █
█ into a more accessible, uplifting harmony that has █
█ you grinning from ear to ear. Demon Bitch doesn't █
█ do the exploding part as well as Cauldron Born, █
█ although they don't really seem to be necessarily █
█ trying to do it, either. Be prepared for fast, █
█ dynamic, minor key tunes that range from mournful █
█ to aggressive. The first song, "Hail to the King" █
█ reminds me a lot of the song "Born of the █
█ Cauldron" in that its riffing is so dissonant that █
█ it's not pleasant at all to the ear on first █
█ listen, but after becoming used to it and actively █
█ concentrating on it it's revealed to be very █
█ enjoyable. "Devil Love" is less obtuse and bears █
█ more of a NWOBHM influence, sounding similar to █
█ fellow Detroit metallers Borrowed Time, which █
█ isn't surprising since the bands share two █
█ members. It's still pretty complex stuff though, █
█ and the solo in the second half of the song is █
█ absolutely insane. Closer "Devil Ram Spirit" is a █
█ sweet epic more in the vein of the first song, █
█ sounding sort of analogous to Cauldron Born's █
█ "Unholy Sanctuary" with its multiple sections and █
█ unabashedly mournful atmosphere, although Demon █
█ Bitch replace the doom influence present on that █
█ song with occult heavy metal/NWOBHM influence a la █
█ early Cloven Hoof. █
█ Ultimately, this release does have its flaws, █
█ mainly that the first half of "Devil Love" seems a █
█ bit underdeveloped (and not occult enough!), but █
█ it makes up for them with its amazing guitar work, █
█ fun lyrics ("Possession takes its toll on █
█ me...Devil love is part of meeee!!"), and █
█ inimitable vocalist - not to mention that █
█ delicious creature on the album cover. That alone █
█ is worth the price of the tape if you can find it █
█ - to quote Caligari records, "This 2012 demo is █
█ not just for listening but also for wanking it. █
█ What did you think? That they put that salacious █
█ fatty on the cover just for kicks? Noooo, she █
█ serves a purpose damn it!" So whether you be █
█ interested in obtuse, Cauldron Born-esque speed █
█ metal or jerking off to an artist's renditions of █
█ great breasts, this demo is for you. Unfortunately █
█ the cassette was limited to a 50 copy run, but I █
█ eagerly await a full-length with a larger pressing █
█ to be released to a band with a solid, committed █
█ fan base such as myself. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Demon Bitch made their mark in 2012 with their █
█ debut demo, an odd and very dense yet satisfying █
█ listen. On paper, the band plays some sort of █
█ progressive power/speed metal variety, which █
█ sounds ordinary enough, but they have some really █
█ unusual ideas and techniques, not to mention the █
█ vocal performance of the inimitable Logon, who █
█ sounds like a certifiably insane Dave Halliday on █
█ drugs (yes, it is as cool as it sounds). The band █
█ seem to have a number of influences that they draw █
█ from simultaneously; I couldn't point to one █
█ specific song and say 'this sounds like NWOBHM' or █
█ 'this sounds like early speed metal' or 'this █
█ sounds like progressive USPM,' but all those █
█ influences are clearly present. They're just all █
█ elements of every song; you have that cool riffing █
█ style of NWOBHM, combined with a structure and █
█ atmosphere more similar to that of USPM and leads █
█ that are very Venom-ish. █
█ The songs also have many things going on all the █
█ time, as well as perpetual changes, which leads to █
█ the overly dense sound. It may be bewildering to █
█ some, especially the "busy" sound which makes it █
█ difficult to pick out what's going on with any █
█ given melody, but after the music is sufficiently █
█ digested it is really quite enjoyable. The guitar █
█ tone is great, the riffs and leads are powerful █
█ and catchy, and Logon is awesome as the resident █
█ demented grave digger (seriously, that's the vibe █
█ I get from him). Even the bass is doing some █
█ pretty impressive stuff, it's just usually █
█ difficult to pick out among everything else. As I █
█ said, even the riffs and leads can be difficult to █
█ follow; I don't usually make a complaint about an █
█ album being too "busy" because usually it's not █
█ too big of a problem. It's not a problem here, █
█ exactly, but this is definitely the busiest album █
█ I've ever heard and it takes some getting used to. █
█ The demo had that as well, but here it's cranked █
█ up even further and just needs to be listened to █
█ several times. █
█ The songs of course are unanimously great, with █
█ the highlight of the EP being the epic closer, █
█ "Evil Night." It, as well as the others here, has █
█ a better flow to it than the songs from the demo; █
█ sometimes they had a tendency to feel as if they █
█ went from one section to another too quickly or █
█ without much transition, while here it's a much █
█ more cohesive listening experience. The clean █
█ guitar intro shows the band branching out into █
█ sections that aren't bursting at the seams with █
█ complexity, and the song overall is just █
█ immaculately written and performed; a multi-part █
█ epic of sorts. Really, all of the band's songs █
█ have multiple parts, but these sections are longer █
█ and more clearly defined, I think. Overall, this █
█ EP is a step up from the already excellent demo, █
█ and I look forward to anything else this superb █
█ group might happen to put out in the near future. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. All Hail Evil 5:40 ░
░ 2. Oaken Guillotine 5:21 ░
░ 3. Death is Hanging 4:34 ░
░ 4. Evil Night 7:01 ░
░ 5. Hail to the King 3:42 ░
░ 6. Devil Love 4:42 ░
░ 7. Devil Ram Spirit 4:55 ░
░ 35:55 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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