If any one of you is going to stumble over Crestfallen (Cyprus) demo Lose My Mind try to answer the question of what style these guys play. I anticipate you will change your mind a few times, especially if you give it multiple listens and focus on one track more than another. Melodic extreme metal of Crestfallen is quite diverse, which makes for both good and bad. It is very commendable that these young Cypriots are trying not to sound like any other melodic death band in particular. On the other hand being all over the map is not the best way to make the mark.

The opener I Lose My Mind is a slow grower of a song with a quiet intro which may sound like a long hardcore breakdown, especially considering the fact the rest of the track is accentuated by the modern metal riffing, bass drum pedals following those riffs and, of course, the higher pitch shrieks full of angst. This song is something I envision many American melodeath bands pulling off, as this melodeath/hardcore crossover is popular with MTV these days.

Spawns of Society on the other hand is very power riff oriented, sort of Children of Bodom version without too much brutality in the sound, audible keyboards very much reinforcing the impression.

Crestfallen is probably proud of these two songs, but I tend to like Obliterate and Confined much more. Rather than being trendy (I Lose My Mind), or be way too simple in the riffing department (Spawns of Society), these two cuts have more deathdoom tendencies, are more sincere, have more profound, minor key melodies and profess more feelings than simply “Look, I am in the band”, the impression I particularly get with Spawns of Society.

The band’s strength is obviously its guitar department, Michael Xenophondos and Loukis Petrides. The riffery of Obliterate and Confined is attractive and the solo saves a one-note drum pattern in Spawns of Society. The vocals of Chris Achilleos, though, are a problem. If Michael Stanne is his hero and it is Stanne who is being emulated on Lose My Mind, I can say that Chris, unfortunately, isn’t Stanne. His clean vocals in particular made me cringe, as his crooning almost ruins Confined.

In short, I find this demo not devoid of positives, but still needing lots of work in a few departments. The talent is there, now the focus needs to take shape.