GRAVEWARDS
"Subconscious Lobotomy"
Athens, Greece's GRAVEWARDS have released their first cassette demo entitled "Subconscious Lobotomy" containing four tracks of old-school, foot-stomping death metal. A three-piece including members Nikos (vocals, guitars), Fotis (bass) and Vasilis (drums), GRAVEWARDS deliver high-octane putridity in the form of consistently good tracks.
Nikos barks his vocals out like a rapid dog on opener 'Casket Entrapment', as the guitars chug and gallop. The brief throbbing bassline later in the track proves that all instruments are crucial to their sound. Second track 'Subconscious Lobotomy' includes guitars screeching in ladder-like disarray as the drums steadily pound and the vocals spit venom. 'Crawling Chaos' rushes head-on with sometimes charging, sometimes spiraling guitars, meandering bass and one-word vocal attacks. The ever-changing riffs and anatomy of the song are a breath of fresh air to the often mechanical, formulaic paths other bands seem to take in their songwriting. A female voice speaks at the beginning of fourth track 'Deathwomb Incubation' before the vertigo-infused guitars kick it up a notch to end the demo satisfyingly.
GRAVEWARDS provides a solid first appearance in the world of death metal madness, with hopefully a full-length soon on the way.