Labels: self released
Review by: Alex Deller
Sickening doom stuff from sunny Brighton here, though on the basis of this three-track demo you could be forgiven for thinking they maybe came from a bit further south than that. Hah. In keeping with the nautical theme the first comparison that sprang to mind when ‘Aqua Vitae’ first assailed me was Graves At Sea, thanks in large part to the same leaden, slightly bluesy sense of toil and the rasping, swamp-bubble gurgles utilised as vocals. Elsewhere you get a dash of Dystopia (thanks to the occasional ‘boxy’ guitar chug and low-end back-up vox) and the very real sense that some of these riffs have been genuinely wrenched from the hands of whoever’s playing them. The whole demo has a somewhat loose, jammed-out feeling to it that either suggests a band very comfortable in its own skin or one that’s still maybe hashing shit out in the rehearsal room. Personally I hope it’s the former since the mutant, organic lope they’ve arrived at suits them extremely well and suggests these lads are already well on their way to becoming something rather grand indeed.