Cerebral Hemorrhage
Demo 1998
[Independent]
I don't do this often, but this review will be song by song, seeing as this
demo is rather ass-kicking in its intensity. I'll have to eat my words
regarding New York death metal. Most of it still holds no interest for me,
but there are a few bands that deserve support, such as Cerebral Hemorrhage.
This tape is four songs' worth of brutal death metal based in the New York
vein, combining touches of Morpheus Descends (the claustrophobic brutality)
with a bit Suffocation and to a lesser extent Internal Bleeding, occasionally
displaying doomier slow riffs and some weird harmonizing/squeals (but they
don't overdo it like Dying Fetus). The production is satisfyingly raw, though
each instrument can be heard clearly. Sometimes the bass is a bit too loud,
but this is a demonstration tape, a time for the band to learn. Sounds like
they already know a hell of a lot about making good music.
The first track, "Amongst the Tombs", is probably my favorite of the four presented and is a good choice for an opener. The fast typical death metal tempo laid down by Matt Doreson (guitar/backing vox), Jason Smith (bass) and Tom Kivatinos (drums) is aided by the vocals of Matthew Szablewicz, which are guttural, but not of the "lower than low" variety that turn so many people off to New York death metal. After about a minute of the faster speed, the guitars go into playing a slow-paced drone while Tom groovegrinds on the drums; this makes for an interesting contrast. Sometimes the vocals are a bit loud, as if Matthew had the microphone too close, but this only lasts for a minuscule amount of time.
The following track, "Resulting in Homicide", shows that the band can incorporate blast (which wasn't used in the previous song) into their music. Tom is a commendable drummer, blasting, grinding and grooving his way through it all. About halfway through the song, there is an odd somber guitar passage that, while it may sound out of place at first, it actually fits in perfectly and only makes the song better.
Flipping the tape, we have "Sacrilege", which begins with a deliciously discordant-sounding riff. Anyone who reads EFW knows I love that kind of shit. Actually, this is a serious contender for my favorite song. Tom lays down some mid/fast-paced double-bass while the guitars continue utilizing the aforementioned riffing style.
Before you know it, the final song is playing. "Rejoice of the Ritual" has some fast riffing in it, couple with Tom's blast. It's probably the song with the most blast. Again, toward the middle, they whip out this memorable riff, just as they did in the previous three compositions, that makes the entire song worth its weight in gold. Before you know it, the demo is finished playing. Time to flip the tape over again.
While there are a few parts that could use a tad of tweaking, this is a rather well-produced demo tape, actually near CD quality (hopefully this will make it onto CD in its original form sometime). If you have an open mind, this band has a lot to offer the true death metaller. Be on the look out for the Cerebral Hemorrhage's debut CD in the near future, as well. I just hope they include lyrics next time.
© 1999 goden
The first track, "Amongst the Tombs", is probably my favorite of the four presented and is a good choice for an opener. The fast typical death metal tempo laid down by Matt Doreson (guitar/backing vox), Jason Smith (bass) and Tom Kivatinos (drums) is aided by the vocals of Matthew Szablewicz, which are guttural, but not of the "lower than low" variety that turn so many people off to New York death metal. After about a minute of the faster speed, the guitars go into playing a slow-paced drone while Tom groovegrinds on the drums; this makes for an interesting contrast. Sometimes the vocals are a bit loud, as if Matthew had the microphone too close, but this only lasts for a minuscule amount of time.
The following track, "Resulting in Homicide", shows that the band can incorporate blast (which wasn't used in the previous song) into their music. Tom is a commendable drummer, blasting, grinding and grooving his way through it all. About halfway through the song, there is an odd somber guitar passage that, while it may sound out of place at first, it actually fits in perfectly and only makes the song better.
Flipping the tape, we have "Sacrilege", which begins with a deliciously discordant-sounding riff. Anyone who reads EFW knows I love that kind of shit. Actually, this is a serious contender for my favorite song. Tom lays down some mid/fast-paced double-bass while the guitars continue utilizing the aforementioned riffing style.
Before you know it, the final song is playing. "Rejoice of the Ritual" has some fast riffing in it, couple with Tom's blast. It's probably the song with the most blast. Again, toward the middle, they whip out this memorable riff, just as they did in the previous three compositions, that makes the entire song worth its weight in gold. Before you know it, the demo is finished playing. Time to flip the tape over again.
While there are a few parts that could use a tad of tweaking, this is a rather well-produced demo tape, actually near CD quality (hopefully this will make it onto CD in its original form sometime). If you have an open mind, this band has a lot to offer the true death metaller. Be on the look out for the Cerebral Hemorrhage's debut CD in the near future, as well. I just hope they include lyrics next time.
© 1999 goden