This is where it all began for the kings of melodic death metal, Kalmah. I'm a huge Kalmah fan, and out of curiousity I downloaded this demo. I wasn't disappointed, but hey, a band as consistent as Kalmah never does.

The demo kicks off with one of Kalmah's best songs 'Hades' which would later be re-recorded for their debut album ('Swamplord' [2000]). There are some differences between the two versions, but I prefer the demo version. It has a much rawer sound and the background keyboard melodies can be heard more clearly, which adds to the raw atmosphere of the song. The main highlight of this song is the mesmerizing intro. Fucking awesome song, perfection defined.

'The Blind Leader' is another solid track, with thin winding riffs that leave you breathless and gasping for air. The chorus is very good, with the harsh vocals contrasting well with the melodic riffage. This version of 'The Blind Leader' is shorter than the one that would later appear on 'They Will Return' (2002), and while this version is not bad, I would take the other version of the song over this any day.

The third and final song in this demo is 'Vezi Doroga'. Kalmah is one of those bands who have never released a bad song, every song reeks of quality and 'Vezi Doroga' is no different. Although the patterns in this song are more predictable, it is still in the same hypnotizing style of Kalmah, and their style never grows old.

Overall, a fucking awesome demo. Great beginnings for an even greater band.

Reviewed by MegaHassan
11/13/2008 14:03