Artist: Soul Demise
Country: Germany
Label: Season Of Mist
Formats: CD
Year: 2003
This German death/thrash formation has been around since 1994, but has managed to escape my attention all this time, with “In Vain” that comes to an end. This is already the third full-length album from this troupe, and this should be the breakthrough disc for the band (according to the bio). The band has already shared the stage with such luminaries as Dying Fetus, Vader, Morbid Angel, Krisiun, Deströyer 666, Immolation, Decapitated, Soilwork and Deranged. Quite a list! However, I don’t find out much more from the bio…
About the music, we don’t have to make it difficult. It is straightforward, direct and right in your face. Obvious influences are present: Kreator, Slayer, Destruction and this thrash mixture drenched in an incredibly chunky Swedish Deathmetal sound. Yet nothing sounds dated, the CD has a nice modern and smooth sound. It all flows nicely and they don’t seem to like a midtempo song and pound furiously throughout the entire CD. Only at the beginning of “Towards The Gate” they slow down and start playing in mid-tempo, but this is only for a short period of time when the ever-present double bass lines pick up the pace again. All instruments have a prominent role in the music and everything rolls along nicely, and especially the guitars give it a Swedish feel.
A pretty nice and entertaining album, that’s for sure. But, its not a stunner. Not something like The Haunted, for instance. Definitely not a bad CD: it has a great rolling sound and the pacey tempo fits well, but whether it is really a breakthrough remains to be seen.
