Demo 2008

Man, this is a versatile demo. Each song takes on an entirely different spin. I generally don’t do reviews track by track, but here it feels like I couldn’t go any other way. I feel obliged to go through each track to give the reader an idea of Old Bones’ sound. And I think you can bear with me since it’s only a four track demo.

"Old bones" (the song, of course) starts this demo off in such a marvelous and arse-shredding manner. The mix the harsh old school black metal with some very sluggish doom, presenting some enchanting riffs and haunting vocals. At times there’s a bit of that 70ies psychedelic touch to it, incorporated into raw-as-hell tunes reeking of utter depression and solitude. I really love this track, so imagine my surprise when the entire atmosphere changes as the four minutes of "Old bones" is up…

Now this is something completely different. "Nekrophelia" still carries the old school black metal banner high, but with such a punk attitude. It can’t sound anymore hardcorepunk without being hardcorepunk, and it’s almost impossible to not mention Darkthrone here, as they’ve been doing this style of black metal for some albums now. But Old Bones do not sound like a copycat, and in fact I’d prefer them over previously mentioned act.

With "Alcoholic blasphemy" it’s back to the recipe of the opening track, but still with a twist of course. The emphasis here lies deeply with sludge, in an oh-so-sluggish tempo. However there’s not a lack of black metal, as the sound is cold and harsh, and the riffing carries a black approach. And as the last track, "Devils content", sets in we’re given a mixture of the previous three songs. True raw old school black metal with a punkish attitude and semi-slow tempo.

It’s difficult to guess which approach Old Bones will go with for upcoming releases, or if they’ll keep this schizophrenic mixture. But I certainly hope they won’t let go of the sludge/doom influence, as it kicks so much arse, especially the opening track. I dare any fan of harsh doom metal to deny the quality of the song. The only negative remark I can make is on the sound, as the bass-drum almost completely disappear.

Originally written for http://www.mylastchapter.net