Cold Deliverance

Cold Deliverance would be the third release of the Brazilian band Despot and it would be the second one in 2010. Furthermore, as the band is only active since 2008 it has not only spread a considerable amount of demos so far, also the overall performance is by no means bad. Those five tracks on this latest output come with a variety of sounds and influences: death, (symphonic) black and thrash metal make an appearance. What might astound is the overall density of the compositions. Fast lead-guitars (Rejoice in Isolation) meet some interesting dynamics (The Bastard Hive has some riff-chugging parts) for instance and also the drums and keyboards are able to support the music now and then. Old Satyricon (and maybe even a bit of Dimmu Borgir) meets (modern?) Dark Funeral would give an indication on what to expect on this release. It is hardly possible for the listener to catch some breath … because there is an endless stream of riffs and motives pouring out of the speakers.

Not surprisingly this comes at a cost. Occasionally, the music sounds overloaded and chaotic; especially the keyboards appear displaced at times. There is simply too much going on and it impossible to grasp every tiny bit of it. Even though the band refers to rather established and conservative bands on their homepage, the music on this demo sounds rather modern; something quite apparent when taking the powerful production into account. Cold Deliverance – no this title is misleading – is quite listenable and can be enjoyed, but the lack of a clear identity as well as the slightly chaotic approach, prevent it from being enjoyed over a longer period of time.

Based on a review originally written for ‘A dead spot of light (Number 9)’:
http://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...number9