Degenerate started on fourth quarter of year 2003, when the line-up was completed. How the fuck do they sound this good, then?! The fact is, that guitarists Mikael Ekstedt and Andreas Backa have been playing together since 1998.

This four-song demo was recorded in October 2003. Degenerate's metal sounds very Swedish (so are guys' names, too). 'Blinded' initiate things wonderfully. I mean, shit, this alchemy between lead and rhythm guitars is really something. The joyous melody gets immediately stuck into brain and the crunchy, chunky rhythm guitar tears a new asshole. Infectious drumming raise the energy stakes even further. Total classic material, this. 'Displacement' is a darker and heavier song, reminding me of Soilwork's older material to some extent. The melody in the middle is fantastic again. 'This Bleeding' thick guitar playing reminds me a lot of late Eucharist. Chorus is fantastic, with kind of mystic melody and besides that the song is more melodic again. 'Victim' continues on similar way, so it's Eucharist that comes to my mind. There's a real mosh part after the middle point mark. Great! Good song material, but maybe a bit more original touch and that's it.

As mentioned, guitarists' alchemy is present and it works really well. Great playing, from chunky riffing to fantastic leads. Markus Rosenberg's drumming is flawless and very energetic, going from "rock" beats to double kick drumming. I love that thick snare sound, it adds aggressive element. Bass, played by Mathias Lillmåns, is a bit low on the mix or then it's just behind the thick wall of guitars. Jakob Ericsson's vocals are growled, sometimes very low, but usually agonized way. Sound is good all the way, not album quality, but good. I hope guys don't lose the raw edge when they get to record their first full length album. And I believe this will happen quite soon. It can be heard guys are for real, not just playing for the sake of being in a band.

This debut demo kicks asses of many established bands playing this kind of stuff. Some of them have gone astray from their roots, mainly because of "keeping it modern". Degenerate show there's still life in metal their mentors used to play, without electronics and other mainstream elements. A great start.

Reviewed by Lane
02/07/2004 21:47