Description

Official German tape. Yellow cassette with black texture. Catalogue number: DVP-46. Limited 100 copies 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 US power metal, 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 US power metal 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. Track listing: 1. All Hail Evil 2. Oaken Guillotine 3. Death Is Hanging 4. Evil Night