Daemonicus - Deadwork (2012)

My previous experience with Daemonicus, their 2009 debut Host of Rotting Flesh, was of a pretty hungry, competent and pummeling young Swedish death metal outfit with a primal energy and production that just didn't manifest into very memorable songs. With Deadwork, they seek to refresh and modernize their songwriting to better results, and I can claim with zero hesitation that that is exactly what they've done here. It's not the most consistent record, and there are a few truly dull grooves or hooks we've all heard a thousand times before, but at the end of the day, there are a few tremendous songs among this bunch which any fan of the style should appreciate; the early signs of a band beginning to flourish.

Daemonicus is not one to eschew melody or variation in a stumbling attempt to recreate Left Hand Path, Slaughter of the Soul or any other Swedish monument, but there's no doubt they've got a lot of influence from Dismember, Grave, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, Amon Amarth and other Euro gods. The rhythm guitar tone is heavily redolent of that old 90s sound still so popular; muscular enough that it strongmans the simpler grooves, but also pretty polished to pack a punch. The melodies, where they appear, are usually quite good, and rescue what might otherwise be a pretty mediocre matrix of chord progressions; the use such leads and atmospheres often recalls the death & roll oriented acts like Hearse or Desultory, and altogether these elements fashion tracks like "The Grandeur of Total Termination" and "We Feast On Your Flesh" into effective ragers that won't soon escape your thoughts. The drums are bright and splashy, the bass uses a grimy distorted sewer tone to good effect, and as a whole, the production of the album is huge and 'now', not so clean as, say, Twilight of the Thunder God, but nonetheless tight and professional.

The vocals aren't too guttural in nature, more of a visceral, rich snarl imbued with plenty of charisma, and they hold up when he sustains syllables out over the ballast of a chorus groove. Where Deadwork truly worked for me is where those slower, Bolt Thrower-meets-Grave, breakdowns, melodic guitars and vocals all congealed into this epic bruise on the chin; where it became something of multiple, emotional dimensions and not merely a simpler, thuggish exercise in familiar note placement. It's not as dark of an album as you'll hear from other upstarts like Miasmal or Tormented, but at the same time it's mildly more accessible towards the melodic death fans, without sacrificing its churning core aesthetics. There are probably only 3-4 songs here that I'd return to with any regularity, but it's easily a rank or two above its predecessor Host of Rotting Flesh, and I'd recommend it for fans of anything from other newcomers Puteraeon and Entrails to Feral or the latest Desultory record.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.facebook.com/Daemonicus.nu

Daemonicus - Host of Rotting Flesh (2009)

I'm not sure how many old school death metal revival bands a single European nation can produce, but Sweden is testing the limits. Daemonicus is another in a long line of bands to form up in these past few years, forsaking the melodic side of the style for a trip down murder lane, to when bands like Entombed, Grave, Dismember, Unleashed and Grotesque were the cutting edge. Host of Rotting Flesh is the band's debut, after forming in 2006 and releasing a trio of demos. The album has left little impact on me, but there is certainly a wealth of old school fanatics who will chew it up for its sincerity.

To their credit, Daemonicus do not simply sound like another band ripping off the old 'Swedish' sound. When listening to this album, you would not mistake it for Left Hand Path. What this band creates has an even more primal sound to it, very simple bludgeoning death metal which recalls the days of the genre's youth. The riffs tend to range from slow grooves and slower, flowing death metal chords (ala "Carnage") to slightly faster death ("Unrest In Peace") which reminds me of early Florida style, Death, for example. Vocalist
Stefan Hagström has a deep, gruff throat which doesn't stand out much, but fits the riffs well enough. One of the band's stronger points is their capacity to create those good olde schoo, creepy leads which so few bands produce these days. There is nothing flashy or technical here, just a love of roots death metal. Of the stronger songs here, I'd choose the gloomy "Welcome the Dead" and the creepy doomlike "Swarm of Death" as the standouts.

Host of Rotting Flesh also boasts a very humble production, that dark and ominous jam room tone which dominated the proto-death of the very early 90s. There are no annoying grooves or breakdowns, nothing cheap or insincere about what they do. I didn't enjoy many of the songs, but there's nothing particularly negative to report about this. If you favor the really true, old sounding death metal which has recently seen a comeback, Daemonicus is at least worth a listen.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://www.daemonicus.nu/