Ending Quest - Vlad Tepes [DEMO] (2011)

Ending Quest originated as a group of friends fucking around with the HM-2 guitar tone and attempting some impressions of their favorite cult Swedish death metal acts. This inevitably led to some creativity, and the band started composing originals. Last year, they released a demo titled Led to the Slaughter, which was decent, and now they've followed it up with Vlad Tepes, a more substantial experience (10 minutes longer), but ultimately about not a far cry from the quality of its predecessor. Predictable but efficient d-beat beats are used to back vicious riffs born of the early 90s, and no one could argue that they do a passable job of summoning up nostalgia for their obvious inspirations: Entombed, Dismember, Grave, and perhaps a little Gorement (from whom they derived the band name).

"End This Mortal World" opens with dire melodies ala Left Hand Path, but the transitional stops and starts didn't do a hell of a lot for me, even if the riffs were fully functional. "Vlad Tepes" uses a charge-like motif before it swerves towards a vampire-like, stalking pace, but this is also not a favorite of mine on the demo. "Butcherknife Encounter" turns up the frenzy, but I didn't exactly love the riffs. I found the last two originals "Coffin Worm" and "Dark Immersion" to be the best of the originals; the former with some simple but effective, crawling and crushing rhythms; the latter a more grinding beast with a dash of old Repulsion and Napalm Death in the verses and a nice, gloomy melodic breakdown bridge. On the prior demo, the band offered a rendition of "Wolverine Blues", which seems an obvious choice considering their style. Here, they tackle "Scream Bloody Gore" (Death) and "Born for Burning" (Bathory), both of which are morphed into their own image and not played too close to the hilt.

In the end, I actually wasn't as content with the material here as the first demo ("Led to the Slaughter" and "A Fiery Fate" come to mind); but it's close; and certainly these youngsters remain competent, authentic and enthusiastic about the style. The real issue, as it is with so many of these sorts of bands, is whether they can make a strong enough impression in the existing envelope of the genre that the audience listens beyond the mere familiarity and once again experiences ye old rapture of classic Swedish death. Whereas veteran derivatives like Repugnant, Bastard Priest, Tormented and Tribulation excel at nearly matching stride with their influences, Ending Quest just sort of make due, well versed, with decent lyrics, but not incredibly catchy songs.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/endingquest

Ending Quest - Led to the Slaughter [DEMO] (2010)

Ending Quest is another young Swedish project performing straight up old school death metal, a further vehicle for Stefan Nordström of Desolator. Like that band, this Led to the Slaughter demo is unflinchingly old school and not afraid to flex its familiar muscles, but there are a few differences of note. Where Desolator worked within a miasma of rugged, early 90s aesthetics, Ending Quest feels a little closer to a hybrid of the old, crushing tones of Entombed, Therion, Unleashed and Grave, and the Florida legends Death, at least on their albums Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy. Toss in some Pestilence and Asphyx for good measure, and you're off to a worthy start.

The production here is also quite an improvement over the Desolator demo, and it almost feels like someone were recording Leprosy or Consuming Impulse with the highly recognized and cloned Swedish guitar tone of the master. No, there are not riffs here of the caliber once conjured by a Patrick Mameli or Chuck Schuldiner, but in all, tracks like "Life Recedes" and "Master Therion's Reign" are fun despite this oversight, if only because of their thick, raucous delivery. It's not until the title track that you get a pretty damn excellent guitar riff, and "A Fiery Fate" is another clear winner, with an eerie opening guitar melody and strong body of pulverizing, dynamic force. "Body of Christ" moves with the same momentum as some of the earlier tracks, with a half-baked breakdown into which creeps another spooky guitar line.

Ending Quest has also included a cover of "Wolverine Blues" from Entombed, sort of surprising since you'd think there would be more interest in something off Left Hand Path or Clandestine. It's not a huge leap from the original, and perhaps too close to warrant attention, but it's harmless to show that the band have the chops to tackle their influences head on. In the end, I found that all five of the original tracks had something to offer, and while they are far from unique, they're fun enough examples of the style that they might very well be snapped up in the feeding frenzy for the old Swedish sound. Obviously, I'd like to hear this entire scene produce something more novel, and perhaps such an evolution is not long around the corner, but if you are seeking only the nostalgia for the death metal of your childhood, or you're just getting into this stuff for the first time, you might add Ending Quest to your list.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/endingquest