Legacy of Pain

Is this really the same band who released Return to Salem 4 years earlier? While that was a good release in its own right, in no way does it match the intensity and aggression found here. It's not power metal anymore, that's for sure. Where shall I start? Alright, you like Exhorder? This album sounds a LOT like Slaughter in the Vatican. And when I say a lot, I mean a hell of a lot. The tone of the guitar, as well as the vocals (!!!), sound almost identical. In fact, if you read the reviews for Slaughter of the Vatican, you have about a 95% accurate description of what you can expect here.

This demo, which might as well be an album, is packed with riffs. Check out the intro to The Ritual. Fast guitars from the get-go, and then a sonic barrage of pissed-off drums kicks in a few seconds later. Then 37 seconds into it, the tempo is slowed down for a riff that sounds very much like, yes you guessed it, Exhorder. In fact, I thought it was taken straight out of the song Desecrator, but it isn't. Sure sounds a lot like it though. But the slow pace doesn't last long, and soon you're up to speed, through angry vocals, occasional blazing solos, and of course the incessant drumming. Now these are some great riffs, well defined and executed. Ultimate Power has got to be one of my favorite songs on here. It starts out pretty slow, then 24 seconds into it goes into a great sequence of decreasing half-note change-ups. The rest of the song is, needless to say, awesome as well, with many riffs, one after another, and then some cool short solos at the end. And so on and so forth. Forsaken is another one of my favorite songs on here, simply because I really like some of the riffs here. Some are fast, and some are mid-paced, but that's about as slow as they get.

I don't encourage downloading, as it's a personal choice, but you're probably not going to come across this demo as it was released only on tape, and in very limited numbers. I hear they go for hundreds of dollars on eBay so it's definitely a cult release but if you get the chance to listen to it sometime, you should take it. It will be something new and enjoyable for you to injure your skull to.