Very few bands have left the kind of first impression on me as Demona did earlier this year. Quite frankly this band is delivering some of the highest caliber music in the speed metal canon these days. There is no retro-wannabe posturing anywhere in sight, just a genuine sense of passion for high speed riffing and intense song craft. Also, while Demona seem to deal in the black arts, they never lose sight of the fun loving attitude that made this kind of music so great back in the day.
After an ominous bass filled intro, the band slams their foot down on the gas pedal and then rarely lets up for this entire albums duration. Speed is the name of Demona’s game, a non stop full battery assault with blistering riffs and attacking drum beats. However, despite the band’s near relentless approach, their music is on the whole very catchy and memorable, and you won’t hear tons of riffs you already know as is sadly the case with most newer speed/thrash bands. There is also an occasional bit of respite in the form of receding tempos found towards the end of the album, such as the more traditional pacing of “Stronger than the Hardest Stone”.
The band’s guitarist/vocalist Tanza is truly a remarkable beast; Her fretwork is dexterous and nimble, but her vocals are more singular and unique. Her delivery is mostly clean, but her thick Chilean accent lends the music a truly exotic flavor. She is also no slouch when it comes to varying her approach, with her tones switching from pure mania to lusting desire with seeming ease, while never succumbing to pure screaming (though she can shriek like a banshee!) and always while carrying a melody. The lyrics are of the fairly typical leather, spikes, and Satan variety, but have just enough humor to to convey a sort of fun b-movie vibe, with the cry of “Dirty Speed Metal!” sure to give a smirk. And while English clearly isn’t her first language she seems to have a better grasp of the language than some vocalists, though a few songs in Spanish do enhance the proceedings. Having led the band from its one woman origins into its current incarnation, she is the true embodiment of a leader, something a lot of bands sadly lack these days. On top of everything she is absolutely gorgeous and her stage clothes leave little to be desired in a front woman.
The rest of the band are on top of their game as well with great performances all around. Recording quality is almost perfect, razor sharp but not oppressive to the headphone wearing listener. The Inferno records version also comes in a glossy digipak, which suits the excellent cover art. The highlight for me would have to be the title track, simply because the riffs and chorus are awesome! But almost every track follows closely behind and there is not a clunker in the bunch. My only gripe would be the recycling of the intro to close out the album, but this is an extremely minor flaw considering the overall quality of the album. If you’ve been hankering for some true speed metal with the thrash and punk elements dialed down a bit, then you need Demona in your life!