As you can imagine we get a LOOOOOT of demos here at A&GS HQ for review consideration. Some are damn good, and others not so much. Still, I always applaud anyone with the balls to reach out to an online publication and put their art out there to be either filleted or praised highly. And as far as the good ones go, I’d love nothing better than to feature them all, but there simply aren’t enough hours in the day, and this is something I genuinely feel bad about. So where am I going with this? Glad you asked. One such demo made its way to me last week, from new band PHYLACTERY. Made up of members of DISPLAY OF DECAY (who we’ve reviewed before) and DIRE OMEN I was intrigued right away.
The main influences heard on this demo are Old School Death/Thrash Metal. Think bands like POSSESSED, MORBID SAINT, and NOCTURNAL GRAVES and you’ll get the idea. The three songs I received are as raw as they come, with a throwback vibe, but not to the point where they sound like shit or primitive, or anything. No, these sound like something that was lovingly created in someone’s home studio where the band put their all into it. “Morbid Existence” pulls the trigger on the starting gun right away and the trio of K.T. (Vocals/Drums), T.G. (Guitars) and J.M. (Bass) bash their way into your living quarters for nearly four minutes.
Next up is “King of Ruin” which was my favorite of the three. This tune just sounds like it’s soaked in blood, the guys are standing over the bodies of their victims, and they’re about to feast on the corpses. Everything about this track commands you to go out and bite someone’s face clean off. Closing the demo is “eat of my Disease” with some primal, almost tribal drums at the start before it too Hulks out and smashes everything in its path. All in all this is a great first taste of a band that is very much on my radar now and I am 100% USDA Prime excited for what PHYLACTERY does next. You can check out the tunes HERE, and be sure and download your FREE copy, and tell all your friends, too!
STANDOUT TRACKS: ALL OF THEM
RATING: 5/5
