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ANOTHER DEMON "As Above, So Below"
ANOTHER DEMON "As Above, So Below"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Those hungry for some meat and potatoes thrash metal should find ANOTHER DEMON to their liking. Although the band is new, the members are all seasoned players with a lot of service in the metal underground. Bassist/vocalist Max Capshaw surprisingly has a punk and hardcore background, having done stints in SICK OF IT ALL and MURPHY'S LAW as well as currently helming H2O. That background is very apparent in his shouted tough guy vocals, without melody and as subtle as a command to fork over your wallet. Guitarists Jun Takeshita and Frank Tosi have also been around the block, which means they know exactly what they are doing.
"As Above, So Below" is a six track EP coming in at a robust 25 minutes. The sound on this sucker is remarkably crisp and sharp, with the bite of oldschool thrash. There's a lot of metallic mid-range in the guitar sound so no need to worry about overly downtuned muck. "Reduced to Ash" and "Deaf Gods" hit the sweet spot between SLAYER and ANTHRAX and Max's thuggish vocals give it a crossover edge. Speaking of which, "Skull Vessel", coming in under two minutes, is like something S.O.D. would do.
The last three tracks "Drawn And Quartered", "Death March" and the title track are longer and more complex, with more room for sharp soloing and some cool chugging riffology. I gotta admit, nothing is blindingly eye-opening and the sound is very familiar, but these are old metal dogs playing what they like and you can hear that enjoyment on "As Above, So Below".
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