Incredibly strong, assured demo from this new Twin Cities band. It’s brief – three songs, one of which is a 30-second intro – but absolutely deadly nonetheless, the band showcasing a canny blend of brutality, melody and dynamic songcraft. The gnashed vocals, emo song titles and way they knit together serrated riffs with dark tunefulness make me think of bands like New Day Rising and Bird Of Ill Omen, though early Cave-In also serve as a fair point of reference. Closing track ‘For Once, And Forever’ gets a bit post-rock towards the end which serves as a nice counterpoint to the savage mania – like being given a lavender-scented handkerchief to wipe away your tears while someone saws your leg off.
Beyond it being a bit of a cracker it’s also worth pointing out that xSERAPHx are, apparently, only in their teens: a sickening fact if true, but also an exciting one – just imagine where they could go from here!