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| Eoin McLove |
 Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:19 pm |
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Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 15398
Location: In the village by the hangman's bay.
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| Just a little whimsical thread to keep things interesting, or possibly sink like a stone. I got the Void Meditation Cult- Sulfurous Prayers demo in the post yesterday and a rather ghastly little beast it is too. It got me thinking- uh oh! Anyway, what is it about demos that makes them so appealing? Is it the discovery of a new exciting band? Is it the fact that demos have a certain 'untainted' charm in the sense that it is in theory the most pure vision of a band, free from the trappings of labels etc? The often naive charm that bursts forth, ideas that aren't totally refined, rough around the edges, potential? What is it about them that charms us so much? Maybe we are just trying to out-cult each other... What do yis think? I think it may be a combination of all of the above but one thing I do know for certain, I get a real kick out of getting tapes in the post! Rot til dess... |
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| Dark Stranger |
| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:48 pm |
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Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 14854
Location: Holding a fiery stride
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| It's the charm of hearing what a band's first effort sounds like - they obviously feel the stuff on their demo is their very best, and like you say - untainted by record label influence. |
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| Juggz |
| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:49 pm |
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Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 1196
Location: Under A Lesbian Moon
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Quote: the fact that demos have a certain 'untainted' charm in the sense that it is in theory the most pure vision of a band, free from the trappings of labels etc?
Back on topic though, yeah, an unheard of gem is always nice to unearth. |
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| Stephen BroMalley |
| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:02 pm |
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Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1240
Location: digging a neghole
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Dark Stranger wrote: they obviously feel the stuff on their demo is their very best
This is giving bands a lot of credit. |
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| Dark Stranger |
| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:29 pm |
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Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 14854
Location: Holding a fiery stride
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| Yeah obviously, but the band think that's their premium output. |
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| open face surgery |
| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:42 am |
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Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 7256
Location: ...from the east and to the WESHT
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| DM666 |
| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 6:16 am |
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Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 230
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| Can that be attributed to the fire that bands that are just starting out have when they still have/had the flame of youth in them? |
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| Tiberius Nyarlethotep |
| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:03 pm |
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Joined: 13 Jun 2006
Posts: 422
Location: endlesskillin'
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| Its the fact that a demo is usually the band in question's original vision that makes them important. the rawness and hunger that you hear on them are real.I like that. |
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| Tiberius Nyarlethotep |
| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:09 pm |
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Joined: 13 Jun 2006
Posts: 422
Location: endlesskillin'
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DM666 wrote: Can that be attributed to the fire that bands that are just starting out have when they still have/had the flame of youth in them?
dont necessarily think youth is all that important a factor...but then i'm old and prefer to think that way.well...maybe it's easier to be fiery and have total self belief when you have youth on your side...you either dont notice or dont care about criticism...which is both positive AND negative.Positive in that you dont let haters annoy you and negative in that any constructive criticism you may get is ignored.either way,demos rule. |
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| Invictus |
| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:17 pm |
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Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 8342
Location: Into The Void Records
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| It really depends on the context of the band. The Necrovore, Treblinka and Incubus (Mike Browning version) demos are some of my absolute favourite metal recordings ever. Two of those bands never went onto do anything else and just left a massive impact on underground death metal through those demos. I've always loved the Morbid Angel 'Thy Kingdom Come' demo for the feel and attack but obviously 'Altars...' is where it's at for them in terms of them 'coming into their own'. Some demos, in the classic sense of the term (80s and early 90s), generally tend of have some unbridled aggression and intensity and a lot of it has to do with finding a particular sound with equipment that had never really been used to make that kind of music so the aura, feeling, atmosphere and sound can be completely special and unique. It's when bands go into do a demo in a pro studio trying to be totally pro that things get kind of shady. |
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| Padre Pio |
| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:40 pm |
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Joined: 25 May 2007
Posts: 6810
Location: The great omnipotent goat sits on the pentagram
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Each of us has bought some totally muck demos I'm sure, but I agree that it's a great buzz to pick up one that takes your head off. (It's also often great to hear, after the event, the earliest works by bands you like.)
I think the fire of youth - or simply initial enthusiasm among slightly older bands - does play a big part.
I think the best demo is probably one where there's a bit of balance between professionalism and amateurism. In other words, the band should have spent at least some time honing their craft, writing the best 3/4 songs they can, and being able to freely do this without label pressure, but at the same time I agree with Dar that ultra-smooth and ultra-pro demos that try to be "EPs" or mini-me albums often (not always) end up losing that sense of wildness and rawness that makes many demos great.
This thread has made me want to listen to "The Mass" by Master's Hammer. |
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