By glancing at the picture of its band members in the CD case, you'd think that
Demiricous
would be a
boogie
/
blues
band, judging from their appearance and the fact that they're kicking back a few brews at a bar. But once the little laser light hits track one of their debut CD,
One
, the sweet and soothing sounds of
Slayer
take your head clean off. The Indianapolis, Indiana natives work with the same musical ingredients as
Tom Araya
and company -- galloping rhythms, repetitive riffs, fast tempos, and screamed vocals. Produced by a gentleman who should be no stranger to
Hatebreed
and
Shadows Fall
fans,
Zeuss
,
is a must-hear for fans of extreme
thrash
death metal
. Like other bands of their ilk, it may be all "samey sounding" to new listeners, but for those who are on their third copy of
Reign in Blood
may be the best debut to come along in ages. It's getting harder and harder nowadays to separate the
metal
purists from the poseurs (the latter a popular buzzword in the '80s
community), and
will confirm that the gentlemen in
have
running through their veins. [A Japanese version added a bonus track.] ~ Greg Prato