Artist: Spektrum
Country: Chile
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital Demo
Year: 2025
Out of one of the world’s major hotbeds for Extreme Metal, the Chilean Death Metal underground scene, comes Spektrum. A relative new band that was initially founded under the name of Spectrvm, but changed their name when they found out there was another band from Chile with exactly that name. But, if you are delivering a demo with these proportions, who cares about spelling? ‘Demo I’ is definitely one of the best Death Metal demos that I have heard in a long time.
With a sound that is rooted in the old school aesthetics of the genre, the threesome goes for a sound that sounds pretty modern and overall sophisticated. With more than just a bit of musicality, Spektrum is delivering a massive piece of rather atmospheric Death Metal that would definitely appeal to fans of bands like Dead Congregation and Grave Miasma. The music bears traces and shades of both Doom Metal and Black Metal, both are woven expertly into the music and together form a grandiose and terrifying ambiance.
The three involved musicians do not have a public musical resume, but I would be highly surprised if this is really the first band these guys are in. As it definitely not only the hired gun on the drums, Alvaro Llanquitruf (of Atomic Aggressor and Morbid Cruelty fame), that is impressive. The musical ingenuity of the compositions is downright striking, especially the second track of this short 8-minute demo is worth an extra mention. Halfway there is a couple of church bells (AC/DC-style) that are just blended in mind-blowingly perfect. Obviously this adds much the feeling of intelligent song writing and overall atmosphere.
The year is still young and there are many more months to come, but this could very well end up high on my personal list of best demos of 2025. If you like your Death Metal both atmospheric and well-crafted, with lots of doomy parts (mind you, not in the boring Asphyx kind of fashion) and a good dose of melodic leads: Spektrum is the band to check out.
