Demo

Constricted's self-titled demo is more passionate and developed than you would probably expect, especially considering the obscure nature of the band. However, right from the first riff, it's evident that a lot of thought went into the making of these songs. Firstly, I should talk about the precision and beautiful tone of the guitars. The main focus here is without a doubt the melody, and while the prominent verse-chorus structure is slightly out of place with the otherwise ambitious and long songs, there are amazing melodies, both vocal and instrumental, which rectify the repetition. Apart from this, there are some genuinely mesmerising instrumental sections to these tracks, and the use of synths correlate with the guitars in a perfect way. By extension, the lead guitar work is also brilliant, with many fresh concepts introduced in this demo that a lot of larger, shittier prog metal bands could really take into account.

It should be noted that melody here is never sacrificed for technicality here, while there is an ample supply of both. This gives the colossally long sections of these songs, which almost sound improvised in their vast sense of scale, substance which makes the tracks memorable, whereas they would otherwise be far too wanky and not focused enough on the meat of the music. The production isn't perfect, but it does do the excellent harmony of the guitars justice. Every instrument is mixed in a way that implements impact and grace simultaneously, which showcases this demo as a very gratifying listen. The drumming in particular is very grandiose and precise, and it adapts to the ever-changing guitar patterns with perfection. There are also many surprisingly thrashy moments on this release, such as the crushing middle section of Stillbirth.

This demo should be recognised as impressive and shows extensively precocious songwriting. Without ever relying too heavily on abstract time signatures or long-winded passages bereft of anything notable or even decent in terms of musical quality, this demo stands as an example of how to write great progressive metal.