Elysium Shift - Demo 2004
Self-released - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
Good to see an unsigned band willing to put some effort in to get their music heard. I first ran into Elysium Shift some three or four years ago, playing a gig along with Disarm Goliath and D-Shock at the Wolverhampton Little Civic. Although the set was plagued with technical difficulties, their savagely heavy, rapid-fire thrash managed to start a devastating pit and got me convinced that they were going somewhere. Fast forward to June 2004, and I run into Kev (drums) and Dave (vocals, guitar) at the Download Festival, where they duly hand me and my girlfriend a demo CD each.
And goddamn if they haven't improved with age - a line-up reshuffle and experience has started to hone them into one of the fiercest extreme metal acts on the West Midlands scene. Comparisons could be drawn to old-school thrashers Testament, although there are some seriously crunching grooves and vocal stylings that recall prime Pantera, as well as more hardcore-esque moments that bring Machine Head to mind. The production is impressive for a demo recording, with grinding guitars and punchy drums. The five songs on offer are cool too - whether it's the slow-burning, melodic drive of 'Unity' or the straight-off-the-starting-blocks machine-gunning of opener 'Buttons', Elysium Shift continually pull riff after motherfucking riff out of the bag, and back it up with an intensity that rarely gets heard from signed bands.
There are niggles, however - occasionally, Kev's double-kick drumming seems to stutter just slightly, which sabotages the steamroller groove on occasion and is detrimental to the professionalism evident elsewhere in the demo. Also, Dave's vocals are perfectly suited to the music when he's hoarsely roaring or screaming full-pelt into the mic, and he even manages some respectable clean vocals on 'Unity' - however, the short David Draiman-esque bark on 'Damn Straight' and the apparent attempt at rapping on 'Buttons' seem out of place. Stick to the extremity lads, you're good at it. Other than these little niggles, though, Elysium Shift deliver a punishing, furious platter of thrash-fuelled aggrocore that deserves to be heard by a wider audience.
8.5/10
Elysium Shift Official Website
Self-released - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
Good to see an unsigned band willing to put some effort in to get their music heard. I first ran into Elysium Shift some three or four years ago, playing a gig along with Disarm Goliath and D-Shock at the Wolverhampton Little Civic. Although the set was plagued with technical difficulties, their savagely heavy, rapid-fire thrash managed to start a devastating pit and got me convinced that they were going somewhere. Fast forward to June 2004, and I run into Kev (drums) and Dave (vocals, guitar) at the Download Festival, where they duly hand me and my girlfriend a demo CD each.
And goddamn if they haven't improved with age - a line-up reshuffle and experience has started to hone them into one of the fiercest extreme metal acts on the West Midlands scene. Comparisons could be drawn to old-school thrashers Testament, although there are some seriously crunching grooves and vocal stylings that recall prime Pantera, as well as more hardcore-esque moments that bring Machine Head to mind. The production is impressive for a demo recording, with grinding guitars and punchy drums. The five songs on offer are cool too - whether it's the slow-burning, melodic drive of 'Unity' or the straight-off-the-starting-blocks machine-gunning of opener 'Buttons', Elysium Shift continually pull riff after motherfucking riff out of the bag, and back it up with an intensity that rarely gets heard from signed bands.
There are niggles, however - occasionally, Kev's double-kick drumming seems to stutter just slightly, which sabotages the steamroller groove on occasion and is detrimental to the professionalism evident elsewhere in the demo. Also, Dave's vocals are perfectly suited to the music when he's hoarsely roaring or screaming full-pelt into the mic, and he even manages some respectable clean vocals on 'Unity' - however, the short David Draiman-esque bark on 'Damn Straight' and the apparent attempt at rapping on 'Buttons' seem out of place. Stick to the extremity lads, you're good at it. Other than these little niggles, though, Elysium Shift deliver a punishing, furious platter of thrash-fuelled aggrocore that deserves to be heard by a wider audience.
8.5/10
Elysium Shift Official Website
