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Marat and This Time it’s War…

Marat - Demo 2006The first release in a series of 3" CD-R's from Yellow Dog Records comes from Marat (The Netherlands), who delivers four rather succinct tracks of blazing hardcore/punk with metallic screamo tendencies in just under 10 minutes. Driven by dense, hammering percussion and raging screams, the core riffs sway from grating dissonance with thick, pulsing rhythmic undercurrents to faster and more traditionally hardcore-oriented chords with just a little bit of melody tucked away from time to time. They've got a very solid recording happening for a demo, especially when you consider the aggressive and at times acerbic nature of the material and some of the looser performance attributes that come along with such a delivery. No lyrics are included, but the disc is packaged in a miniature DVD-styled case with a simple black and white cover, so that gets the job done. However, to my great dismay, this was both the first and the last release from the band, as they called it quits in November of 2006 after less than a year together. A damn shame, as this is a promising set of tunes that would've had me hankering for a full-length. Oh well, shit happens, I guess... but at least they had it in 'em to document these four compositions!

Marat "As Close As We Get"

I believe this one's only available direct from the label, so pick one up if you like what you hear... it'll obviously be your only chance to get your hands on some material from these cats:

Yellow Dog Records






This Time it's War - s/tAnother four-song demo comes in the form of this self-titled CD-R from This Time it's War, who are actually from here in Richmond, VA. True, their style is a relatively standard form of melodic Swedish death metal in large part—based around loads of dual guitar harmonies and some chunkier rhythms that do possess somewhat of a "metalcore" groove at times, but they also spice things up with some more aggressive and technical flare—not to mention some fucking ripping solos that are actually pretty god damn impressive. Plus, I find that their uses of speed are far more energetic and memorable than most such bands, as they're all about riffs rather than simply falling back on basic tremolo picking runs and all that mess, so there are actually some pretty badass little meaty intricacies to be found herein. The recording does sound like a demo to a degree, but it's fully competent and boasts a well-balanced mix that gives the massive bass tone a good deal of breathing room, which is definitely a nice touch. With minor polishing up they'd be ready for a full-length on all fronts, that's for sure. Like I said, it may not be the most original demo out there, but there's a rounded sense of quality to the performances and the overall vibe of the material, so I'm intrigued. I'd like to hear them push the boundaries a little more than they already are, but you can't fuck with some of these riffs, man...

This Time it's War "The Lord of the Flies"

You can order this one for $6ppd through the band's MySpace page, so get to it if you're into the track above. This style may remain a bit overdone, but I'm still won over when a band knows how to do it right, and these dudes definitely have a grasp on it, so I'll be looking forward to hearing how their songwriting progresses in the future. Not bad.

Comments

  1. That Marat track is rad, and this is coming from somone who’s generally sick of that sound!  Bummer they’re no longer around.

    3.6.2007 | By Justin

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