Demonica are what you might deem to be a super-group. The brainchild of Hank Shermann (of Mercyful Fate fame), the high profile guitarist has enlisted a group of musicians enough to have any Bay Area devotee running to the record shops to part with their cash. Certainly the names Mark Hernendez (Forbidden, Heathen, Vio-Lence) and Craig “how the f%$* do you pronounce his last name” Locicero (Forbidden) had me eagerly hovering my finger over the play button.
So you’ll be delighted to know that Demonica play an innovative style of blackened jazz-fusion-core with operatic overtones…WAIT!...no, actually what I meant to say was Demonica have their collective footsies parked firmly in the terrain of Bay-Area thrash metal. It’s what the fans will undoubtedly be expecting, and it doesn’t disappoint. ‘Demon Class’ comes blasting in with relentless speed while the vocals of Klaus Hyr are delivered with a hint of Araya-isms. The speed slows down a little offering more of a melodic twist, and shows that this demon does in fact ooze class! There are some atmospheric touches dotted throughout the album and it’s clear that Shermann and co. aren’t going simply for unbridled speed. There’s a haunting guitar line that brings us in to ‘Ghost Hunt’ before a Painkiller-esque riff is pulled out and blazes through with true heavy metal poise.
‘My Tongue’ slows the pace right down with some heavy, driving riffs while the vocals take on more of an Anselmo style aggression. Here we see a shift in more of a modern metal direction and this carries on into ‘Luscious Damned’ which feels very late-90’s especially in the opening bass line (which incidentally is rather tasty!) There’s a dark under-tone to this number while there’s still plenty of energy and speed in the riffs. That Anselmo-like aggression is prevalent on ‘Below Zero’ and there’s a dirty, grimy vibe to the verse which is kind of the aural equivellent to a pissed-up townie staggering in your direction muttering the phrase “Ywanneh fight dichhead?” The chorus balances this out well and sounds really mellowed-out and atmospheric.
‘Fast and Furious?’ Well it isn’t gonna be a ballad is it, but ironically it’s one of the more mid-paced and melodic numbers on the album, while ‘Alien Six’ thrashes hard and fast and sure all but the most devout of Catholics (priests not included) will hear something else during that vocal line on the chorus. This album is well worth a listen if you like your bay-area thrash; perhaps some purists will be put off by the modern touches, but otherwise it’s a solid album. It’s hard to know what to expect from some “super-groups” and the danger is that you can sometimes expect too much from them and end up disappointed. As long as you don’t expect too much then you should enjoy this album.
http://www.demonica.net
http://www.myspace.com/demonicaofficial
