Saturate

As we’re nearing the end of Godzilla, the band’s third release at the time proved no different from the last two, albeit discrete in terms of songwriting and direction. This time, they sound more technical in their heavy and groovy roots. The album cover also doesn’t seem to coincide with the band’s name. I’m not sure this is the Godzilla iteration one would expect, based on the monster figure that looks more like a dragon. Anyhow, this was never the case. It’s just a cool name, as the music itself, and the rebranding as Gojira won’t be any distinct, as the lyrical themes don’t relate to the monster in question at all.

Besides the epitomize On the Brink of the Abyss which can be equivalent to a filler, the rest of the demo is solid, and the reintroduction of Clone and Deliverance on the band’s debut record showcases their worthiness. Said song, being the opener for the demo, consists of an underwhelming guitar play-through, with vocals that carry the song like a story being told, while there’s a great focus on the cymbals. That’s what you get for three minutes, compared to the rest which are straight up menacing. I’d say this is the weakest opening to any type of release if I’ve ever heard one.

The three other songs mostly display double bass, powerful and yet again addictive power chords, and the band’s signature pitch harmonics. There’s also a fracture of clean vocals that aims for melody, like Clone which creates an atmosphere during the bridge. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a downgrade from their second demo, but there isn’t any more improvement for now. The sound they settled on sounds about right, though I miss some of the element from the previous demo. The best song is Clone.