Take a bite.
-- Severdhed --
30/12/2020
Stijn Daneels
Album genres:
| ■ | Thrash Metal |
Album artists:
| ■ | Dario Van Fleteren | Vocals, guitars |
| ■ | Sam Parret | Guitars |
| ■ | Lucas Wyffels | Bass |
| ■ | Rogie Debels | Drums |
Review
written by Stijn “Metal Shredder” Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
I remember most
of the Severdhed guys from their earlier bands Nocardia (I shredded them in
2016: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/46) and Infantile (I shredded them
that same year too: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/56). A year ago, when I was present at
Evil Or Die Fest 2019, I met some of Severdhed’s members who told me about their
new band and gave me a sticker. And now, a year later, the band’s frontman
Dario dropped me a link to Severdhed’s debut demo release. It’s been a while
since I had reviewed a demo, so let’s shred this one full and raw.
[SHREDDING BASICS]
Severdhed
was founded in 2018 by members of two disbanded West-Flemish thrash metal
bands, namely the aforementioned Nocardia and Infantile. Their eponymous debut
demo is released independently and consists of 3 tracks.
Severdhed’s
influences quickly become apparent when going through this 12-minute demo which
are Slayer (drums), Megadeth (solos) and Anthrax (riffs), in other words,
classic thrash metal. One thing that makes Severdhed sound more unique are
Dario’s clean and youthful vocals, which are more punk-rock inspired rather
than thrash metal. The band also employs a lot of sudden tempo changes which
gives their current material some unpredictability.
The 3 songs
on Severdhed’s demo, “Persistent Minds,” “Bite The Cyanide” and “Death Strip” all
have a consistent thrash feel to them. “Persistent Minds” is the most
guitar-driven of the three, “Bite The Cyanide” has a very catchy chorus and “Death
Strip” uses backing vocals quite effectively.
[SHREDDING VISION]
Severdhed’s
demo artwork features a black-and-white image of the Berlin wall and its infamous
death strip, a nice visual homage to the era from which the band has taken its
music and thematic inspirations. The themes on the demo are typically thrash
stuff, mental issues, drug abuse, social oppression, etc.
[SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
Unlike my
usual EP or album reviews, I won’t be talking about strongest or weakest tracks
in demos. Instead, I’d like to describe the bands strengths and weaknesses
after listening to the demo.
The biggest
strength I see in Severdhed right now is their guitar work. The riffs are sharp
and the many guitar solos are very technical (but sometimes they cut off
abruptly, such as in “Bite the Cyanide”). The vocals punk-like style are a bit
unusual for the thrash metal subgenre but they do fit very well with the
frantic beats. I do wish that there were some more backing vocals, particularly
during the choruses to give it additional punch.
The drums,
while rhythmic headbang-inducing, are a bit too much mixed in front of
everything else and therefore feel distracting. I also believe the songs could
still be made a bit shorter and tighter but other than that, Severdhed shows
legit potential, so let’s give this demo…
[SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
6,5 cyanide
pills out of 10. Despite some mixing issues and a little loose songwriting,
Severdhed’s eponymous demo shows a band that brings thrash metal with
technique, finesse and solid vocal delivery. Certainly worth a try, enjoy “Persistent
Minds.”