New Zealand Heavy Metal Forum & Discussion

[Phlegm]

Canadian trio DEMONTAGE are undoubtedly a heavy metal band, but refuse to be easily pinned down into a sub-genre. It's a tricky task juggling booze-punk riffs, gentle instrumentation, and black metal aggression, but all these styles coexist impressively for the length of this recording.

The opening track "Entourage of Demon's Dances" starts off as rampaging MOTÖRHEAD-inspired punk-tinged metal, gruff grunting eventually giving way to a high-pitched scream, serving as the band's cue to slow to a more traditional pace. Confusing matters more, "Accursed Saboteur" opens and closes with MAIDENesque riffing and a Quorthon vocal style. The title track demonstrates these guys have had some classical training, as high pitched squeaks mingle with some speedy guitar playing, the tempo changes bound to cause more traditional metal fans to scratch their heads as there's no telling what this three-piece will do next. "The Malignant Paradigm" causes further grievous bodily harm with quick heavy blackened riffs complemented by gruff vocals. Guitar bridges with complex structures move all over the place, often keeping the listener guessing. Although all six tracks tend to be on the long side, the band avoids falling into the trap of being unnecessarily repetitive or just plain boring.

If you're a black metal fan looking to convert your traditional metal friends to your music of choice, you couldn't pick a much stronger transition record than "The Principal Extinction". Maybe they could convert the more closed-minded fans of black metal to traditional metal too. Unlikely, but possible.

3.5/5

http://www.myspace.com/demontage

[Rob]

hey, great man.

thanks for posting this.