DEMIRICOUS – One

During the initial few seconds into Demiricous debut album, One, you will probably have a kinda Slayer deja-vu moment. This is not meant like Demiricous is a Slayer tribute band; oh no, Demiricous definitely have their own sound. But, like there are some who will liken Iced Earth to Iron Maiden, Sonata Arctica to Stratovarius, and a slew of other bands to Metallica, the Slayer influence can certainly be heard. So, no doubt, there will be those who will dismiss Demiricous out of hand simply because of this Slayer association. These are the people who have the total back catalogue, bootlegs, and Japanese bonus track issues of perhaps only 4 or 5 bands and look upon any other band with complete disdain. These people really must open their minds to some of the other music that’s out there, and what better way to start this mind expanding experience than with One. Those with wide, rich, and varied musical interests will take One at face value, which is a damn fine piece of ‘Old School’ Thrash Metal complete with vitality, rage, and aggression that is definitely NOW!

Demiricous came to be on Halloween night 2001, and their credo from that day has been to be true to themselves and play the music THEY want to hear, not bend to the trend of the day. One could be mistakenly classified as ‘New Wave Of American Heavy Metal’ due to its venomous aggression, and Demiricous being a ‘New’ band. However, once you have a listen to One, your head will start nodding, you’ll reach for your Air Guitar, and you will have no doubt that you are listening to some good old Thrash Metal in all its balls-out glory.

Guitars and vocals are the driving force of this album, with Scott Wilson and Ben Parrish blasting out some face-ripping riffs, licks, and rhythms. The solos are completely wild, seemingly out of kilter, harmonically, with the rhythm; yet this somehow gives them more life, power, and ‘In-Your-Face’ shredding. Nate Olp, vocalist and bass player, has a good, strong, gargles-with-jet-fuel-and-rusty-nails vocal style that’s perfect for the job. His bassing doesn’t set the world on fire, but in this instance it’s actually a good thing; it keeps the beat and rhythm going, which is what it should be doing anyways, without being intrusive or distracting from what’s ripping your face off. Nevertheless, although Nate’s bassing doesn’t stand out, listening carefully, you will realize that without it you would definitely feel something major was missing. Drummer Chris Cruz does an astounding job on the kit with some excellent stickwork; grinds, blastbeats, rolls, runs, they’re all there and all in the right place and time. His ‘beats on the tracks “Withdrawal Divine,” “Cheat The Leader,” and “Hellraiser” involve smacking that snare drum with metronomal precision, yet with an astounding ferociousness. He also plays some fancy footwork on the kicks, however, you’ll have to play with the EQ on your sound system to hear it properly. This is really the only criticism to be found with One, and the hope is this is something that happened accidentally in the mixing and mastering process, as Thrash Metal really needs a good dose of bass drumming; something Chris can deliver – in spades!

One is an exceptional debut album from an exceptional and outstanding band. Being picked up by a major Record Label like Metal Blade after only being in existence for four years is testament to that. Provided they stay true to themselves and don’t bend to any trend or corporate pressure, they should develop and mature into a top-class Thrash Metal band ready to headline many tours all over the world, and should be on everyone’s ‘Live Acts To See Before I Die’ list.

Demiricious are touring the USA until May 10th of 2006 (See band Web site for locations and dates), and it would be great if anyone reading this who has attended one of the gigs would drop a comment below.

Tracklist

1. “Repentagram”
2. “Withdrawal Divine”
3. “Vagrant Idol”
4. “Beyond Obscene”
5. “Perfection And The Infection”
6. “Heathen Up”
7. “Cheat The Leader”
8. “Matador”
9. “To Serve Is To Destroy”
10. “Ironsides”
11. “I Am Weapon”
12. “Hellraiser”