Well, I found the old review for Demonic (by Testament) that I wrote a couple years ago for MR buried deep within my computer hard drive. I thought I'd post it here for your reading pleasure (as a sort of "extra" review for the time being), even though I know Forum Reviews typically aren't allowed:
Testament - Demonic wrote:
Testament: Demonic
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Burnt Offerings
After 1992's The Ritual (undeservingly) flopped both commercially and critically, one would expect that Testament would have simply tried even harder to appeal to the mainstream with their subsequent releases. Instead, the band went the opposite route. 1994's Low was an aggressive groove metal album, with a definite thrash influence as well as one full on death metal song (Dog Faced Gods). After being dropped by Atlantic Records due to that song (and that song alone), Testament no longer had the burden of major label pressure and were now free to do pretty much whatever they wanted with their music.
Enter 1997's Demonic, Testament's first (and probably last) attempt at a full blown death metal album.
As the title (changed from New Eyes Of Old at the last minute) suggests, Demonic is a frightening monster of an album. It easily makes Low, The Ritual, and every other Testament album before it sound like Garth Brooks in comparison. Even 1999's The Gathering has nothing on this album in terms of sheer brutality. As with Low, the songs are generally mid-tempo with speed fairly minimal. However, unlike Low, the guitars and drums have been turned way up in terms of volume, most of the songs use Chuck Billy's patented "growl", and melody is almost non-existent.
The revolving Testament line-up continues as long-time bandmates Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson are the only bandmembers left from Low. The remaining bandmembers are bassist Derrick Ramirez and drummer Gene Hoglan. As with most Testament albums, there’s little technical wizardry to be found on Demonic, as the emphasis is (once again) on sheer brutality. Nevertheless, Eric (who handles both lead and rhythm guitar on this album), Derrick and Gene all do a capable job with their respective instruments. Particularly Gene, whose aggressive drumming is sure to put a smile on any extreme metal fan’s face.
The lyrics, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired. Demonic's lyrics sacrifice the subversive politics of Low in favor of more mythological/historical lyrics, specifically Armageddon and occultism. Unfortunately, the actual writing is so sloppy that one might wonder whether or not English is actually Chuck and Eric's native language. To show you what I mean, here's an excerpt from The Burning Times:
"Some would die the innocent. Some would die a whore."
Death metal has never been known for its amazing poetry, nor has Testament for that matter, but Chuck and Eric really could've proofread what they wrote a little more thoroughly before adding it into their music and showing their “grand poetry” to the public.
After an eerie intro, opening track Demonic Refusal wastes no time in ripping the listener apart. Brutal guitar riffs, Chuck's always-wicked growl, pulse-pounding drumming. This is undoubtedly the heaviest song the band has ever written. The Burning Times, despite its awkward Crucible-inspired lyrics, is also a great song thanks in no small part to some neat guitar soloing. While Together As One, despite being instrumentally brutal, is unique in that it shows Chuck using his standard thrash-metal growl once again and nicely mixing it with his death metal grunt during the song's verses.
Jun-Jun is just as interesting historically as it is musically. The title is what Eric Peterson (who himself is a guitar teacher) describes to his students as the sound an electric guitar makes when strummed. Originally, the song was going to be an instrumental, until Chuck heard a demo for it and added lyrics (which are, according to Peterson, about a drug addicted man who turns to God for guidance in overcoming his addiction). Musically, this is probably the most technically proficient song on the album, especially Gene Hoglan's drumming. Chuck Billy could've varied his vocals a little more (most of his death growls are sung in one single note), but otherwise great song.
John Doe is one of two songs to consist almost entirely of clean vocals. Surprisingly, the cleaner vocals meld better with the aggressive main riff than Chuck's death grunt probably would've. By the way, when I say, "aggressive," I mean the riff is so aggressive that there's no room for any real intricacy or melody. The way Chuck plows through the song's chorus will definitely send shivers down your spine. As will his fictional tale of the murderous title character and his suicide at the end.
Murky Waters is another full-on death metal song with Chuck using his death growl throughout the song's brisk verses, and then reverting back to his clean vocals for the chorus. Surprisingly, this combination makes the song (which is, superficially, about drowning in a dark pool of water - although I'd venture to guess it’s probably a metaphor for feeling left behind by the world) all the more chilling. The aquatic sound effects also work wonders in adding to the song’s suffocating mood.
Hatred's Rise is hands down the best song on this album. It's the second to use almost entirely clean vocals, features one of the most awesome riffs Testament has ever done, has two killer solos (the second, of which, should definitely take you back to their early thrash days), some interesting lyrics (about a vengeful warlord), and some of Chuck's best "growling/screaming" yet. Killer song.
Unfortunately, it's after Hatred's Rise that the album begins its slight downward spiral. Distorted Lives sounds like a reprise of John Doe, except consisting almost entirely of death metal vocals. New Eyes Of Old is probably the song that's most reminiscent of what was on Low, particularly with Chuck's eerie "chanting" in the background of the song's chorus. While Ten Thousand Thrones has a nice intro (which would later be semi-remade in the song True Believer), some neat vocal interplay between Chuck and Eric, and a surprisingly heartfelt tribute to ancient war heroes. But musically just sounds like a reprise of the previous song.
Finally, the album closes with the deliberately goofy instrumental Nostrovia. The song has possibly the most brutal riff Testament has ever written, but instead of standard lyrics, we simply hear the bandmembers smashing beer bottles and shouting "Nostrovia!" (which is Russian for "Cheers!") in several different languages. It's not really a song you can judge in a derogatory sense, but it's certainly nice to see that Testament was able to break away from the album’s admittedly austere tone with it.
Overall, Demonic is a great album that could've easily been a classic had the songs been a little more varied. The band rarely "thrashes," instead opting for a much more serious and gloomy tone. And Chuck uses his death growl probably a little more than necessary (and let's be honest, sometimes it really doesn't fit the music). Individually, every song is good at the very least. But the whole’s a bit less than the sum of its parts as, after hearing yet another mid-tempo death metal song, you’ll find yourself wanting a little more. Nevertheless, this is a fine album that should be picked up by anybody interested in Testament and yes, even death metal.
Killing Songs: All are pretty good, but the first seven are definitely the best.
Overall Score: 85/100
