Guillotine Demo 2004
Self-released 2004
By Jason Jordan
Music has a funny way of infecting the youth, as evidenced by the involvement of adolescents within the music-making industry. A band such as Death Angel was comprised of, like, fifteen year olds when they first got together. So is the case with Guillotine, more or less. Their first release Demo 2004 showcases some talent, but also needs a lot of tweaking if the hopes of being signed are to be realized.
Berserker is the first track from the demo, and is roughly the shortest in length. It clocks in at approximately four and a half minutes. Stylistically, the group has a penchant for using a driving riff, which is then plastered over with adept soloing. The vocals have a sort of melodic death feel to them a la Immortal Souls. The synergy between the instrumentation and the vocalization is not as picturesque as it should be. Some individuals will be irked by the amount of guitar soloing that transpires, but the aforementioned are mostly pleasant. Through the Fire in true Kataklysm style commences with a soundclip from Gladiator. By this time, the most problematic ingredient is the lack of bass drum. Im sure its present, but its inaudible. And, the drumming should be tighter in certain spots. Through the Fire, is perhaps more accessible and catchy than the other material on the aptly titled Demo 2004. What Lies Beyond is basically an encapsulation of the other tracks attributes, but it does attempt to add more breakdowns and subsequent differentiation to the mixture.
Overall, practice will do Guillotine some much needed good; a higher budget would remedy the production and bass drum problems. But, the crux is: Demo 2004 is a good start for a band that has plenty of time to hone their sound and arise with something truly arresting.
5/10
Official Guillotine website
Self-released 2004
By Jason Jordan
Music has a funny way of infecting the youth, as evidenced by the involvement of adolescents within the music-making industry. A band such as Death Angel was comprised of, like, fifteen year olds when they first got together. So is the case with Guillotine, more or less. Their first release Demo 2004 showcases some talent, but also needs a lot of tweaking if the hopes of being signed are to be realized.
Berserker is the first track from the demo, and is roughly the shortest in length. It clocks in at approximately four and a half minutes. Stylistically, the group has a penchant for using a driving riff, which is then plastered over with adept soloing. The vocals have a sort of melodic death feel to them a la Immortal Souls. The synergy between the instrumentation and the vocalization is not as picturesque as it should be. Some individuals will be irked by the amount of guitar soloing that transpires, but the aforementioned are mostly pleasant. Through the Fire in true Kataklysm style commences with a soundclip from Gladiator. By this time, the most problematic ingredient is the lack of bass drum. Im sure its present, but its inaudible. And, the drumming should be tighter in certain spots. Through the Fire, is perhaps more accessible and catchy than the other material on the aptly titled Demo 2004. What Lies Beyond is basically an encapsulation of the other tracks attributes, but it does attempt to add more breakdowns and subsequent differentiation to the mixture.
Overall, practice will do Guillotine some much needed good; a higher budget would remedy the production and bass drum problems. But, the crux is: Demo 2004 is a good start for a band that has plenty of time to hone their sound and arise with something truly arresting.
5/10
Official Guillotine website
