DEMO & EP Recos - part I
As I was putting together a new chapter of New Wave Of Underground Heavy Metal recommended titles, I've decided to set aside these five demo and EP releases, for this first edition of "N.W.O.U.H.M. Demo & EP Recos". For three of the bands these releases represent their audio debut on a record. Long gone are the days of poorly recorded demo tapes - all of the following material was professionally studio recorded and showcases the trajectory each of these bands is set to follow. Please don't forget to support the talent.
MIDNIGHT DICE
Demo
7/12/2019
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Born in 2017 from the ashes of Chicago's traditional heavy metal band Satan’s Hallow, MIDNIGHT DICE spent the last couple of years crafting the songs for this demo. The band members: Mandy, Steve, Rusty, and Jose all played together in Satan's Hallow, therefore their songwriting and performance chemistry is highly relevant via this new outfit. The female vocals add character to the songs on this well executed, and already well received, heavy metal demo.
FIRE
Walking on Bones (EP)
8/16/2019
Hamburg, Germany
Formed of German rock and metal scene veterans, FIRE first got together in 2003. Prior to this debut EP, the band, with the addition of vocalist Klamsi, independently released a well received single, "Save Me" in the fall of 2015. In the band's own words: "Since we are not stressed about having to prove something, we can easily blow those youngsters off stage. They can play faster and have more hair, but we’ve got the tone and the unique songs.“ This release is sure to please proto and traditional metal enthusiasts. Manilla Road comes to mind.
ROGUE DEAL
Demo
5/31/2019
Verona, Italy
The NWOBHM affinities are clearly evident on the Italians, ROGUE DEAL, formed in 2017. Influenced by (early) Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Tygers of Pan Tang, Riot, Raven and Tokyo Blade, the band's demo material packs fluid riffs, punchy bass lines, upper range vocals and high octane rhythms. The authentic material on this professionally tracked and mastered demo offers a very promising idea of what to expect from the band in the (hopefully near) future.
WOLFSKULL
Hexum (EP)
5/31/2019
Berlin, Germany
Representing the more melodic side of heavy metal, at the border of hard rock and with a slight touch of gothic, we find the debut EP, "Hexum" from the Berliners WOLFSKULL. The music of the five-piece band formed in 2018, moves fluidly between hard rock and heavy metal, employing solid arrangements, brilliant melodies, masterful dynamic, execution, and excellent, catchy songwriting. In addition, the distinctive (clean) vocals and darkly romantic lyrics, taking the listener into a bizarre world full of dark magic.
VOLTAX
Death Race & The Forgotten Demos
7/19/2019
Mexico D.F., Mexico
The Mexico City heavy metallers, VOLTAX, are not afraid to venture outside the core of heavy metal, adding growls and blast beats to their new song, "Death Race". The band formed in 2006 after the split of the thrash metal outfit, Thaurval, and released four full-length albums to date. They were also the winners of the "Battle for Wacken" held in Mexico in 2011. Alongside "Death Race", the EP includes three additional highly infectious, reworked "forgotten demo" tracks, in the vein of more traditional heavy/speed metal, from the band's earlier days.
© 2019 by Emil Chiru