7th Nemesis | ‘Promo’

France rarely produces anything of great importance, but that could all be about to change if someone in Label Land wakes up and smells the coffee that these guys are currently brewing. Its getting to the stage where continental demos are so good and so ultimately pro that it is getting hard to blindly distinguish a good demo from “the real thing”. These guys obviously have a clear vision and a singular goal, and in my opinion they should go all the way to the top. Contained within the minimalist but well presented package is some totally scorching death metal - a dense alloy of early nineties classic tones and modern day production values and aggression. The snare and kicks definitely sound well triggered (the short drum intro is huge sounding) and that gives us the familiar percussive tones of Vader and Behemoth; really great brutal deep vocals keep the atmosphere while some dissonant riffs remind of Immolation; and Emperor’s foray into detuning on “Prometheus” is recalled particularly on the standout track “Phoenix Ressurectio”. There are a few hints of millenial groove, and the rasped vocals are nowhere near the brutal ones. Pinch harmonics and heavily muted riffs recall Cannibal Corpse (I can hear a bit of “Gallery” in there), and overall this is just an absolutely brilliant demo. They are obviously geared to the heights of the genre and I wish them well along the way.

4.7 / 5. -Ciaran Tracey ::: 29/11/02