Thursday, January 22, 2009

Exitus Letalis - Nothing Remains [DEMO] (2008)

This third demo from the depressive German black metal duo presents five tracks of utmost sorrow. Exitus Letalis conjures the innermost feelings of despair and desperation and then confines them within walls of melodic razor bliss. The drums crash along with a tinfoil abandon, ready to be crushed beneath these spacious and simple guitars.

Opener "Zwiespalt" is characterized by its crawling pace, the guitars evoke repetitious yet effective landscapes of sad and inevitable doom. The track is interrupted by some samples of rain and minimal acoustics before careening into its tortured climax. "Wenn Hoffnung stirbt" begins with more rainfall and acoustic twang before slicing wrists into its depressive black pace. "Und Nichts Mehr Bleibt" is a brief instrumental, once again we have the storms and the acoustics but there is an added synth for flavor. "Ausser Einsamkeit" is the most glorious of the demo tracks, the drum beat trods along below some soaring guitar lines, and the middle of the song features...yes, an acoustic segment with some nice guitar echos. The outro is once again a sample of storming weather with haunting acoustics, and some speed picked melody.

In all, the demo is cohesive, it feels as if it's one emotional perspective being wrung dry. This is both a strength, and for some, a possible downfall. The recording here is very lo-fi, demo quality you would be used to in the suicidal and necro death metal basement/bedroom scene. I can hear no bass guitar but I'm not sure it is necessary within this band's sound. Exitus Letalis are not doing much in the way of originality, but this is an effective and simple effort which captivated me for its 22 minute play time. For a demo, this is all I can ask for.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/exitusletalisband

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