Full disclosure: The
instrumentalist on this demo is a friend of mine (and a contributor to this
blog, in fact). I believe my opinions to be impartial though.
The opening chords of this, Wyrdforge’s first (and only,
thus far) demo, scream of Triptykon. It’s a bit of a false introduction in that
way, because the rest of the demo has very little to do with that style.
Anyway, this intro/opening track (it could conceivably be viewed as a full
song) gives little indication of the style which is to come. In fact, it’s probably
the weakest track on the demo, which is a shame, as many will hear this,
presume it’s intended as a full song, and move on to their next bitesize chunk
of music. It offers very little variation – only one riff is used, and it’s not
particularly exciting.
Starting with track two, however, the demo is very exciting
stuff indeed. ‘Invisible Mastery’ opens with a riff that could quite easily be
prime-era Slayer, and continues with a display in sheer aggression balanced
with sufficient melody to keep this from becoming a mud of indistinguishable
riffs. The production is appropriately raw for this sort of release, and
complements the varied vocal style (from standard OSDM style grunts to harsher,
blackthrashy screams).
The centrepiece, ‘Necromancy And Napalm Bombings’ is clearly
the best track of the demo. Juxtaposing a thrashy style with blasts and truly
catchy riffwork, one hears d-beats blended seamlessly into blastbeats and
thrash beats and fills, without any sense of the disjointedness that is often
produced by this sort of attempt. Again, it’s clear that Wyrdforge are at their
best when going at full tilt; the effectiveness of the more mid-paced songs is
hampered a little by the lack of the exhilaration that’s often needed for this
sort of thing to work well.
What this is not is original. If you want new, original
albums, go listen to Abyssal or Dodecahedron. If what you want is old-school
worship which wears its influences on its sleeves and is well-written, then
Wyrdforge will please you a lot. The main similarities are the aforementioned
Slayer, with a little bit of Aura Noir and perhaps Kreator in there as well.
This is a tried and tested combination, but one that Wyrdforge use to
devastating effect. The occasional blastbeat with a more melodic riff bears
heavy resemblance to Fukpig’s Belief Is
The Death Of Intelligence.
When you reach the closer, ‘Leeching Spell’, you’ll realise
that it’s essentially the culmination of all the bases visited across the
duration of the previous tracks. Perhaps the dilution of these styles reduces
their effectiveness a little, but it’s a catchy tune, and one that will stay in
your head for a while. My main problem is the abrupt ending – although I was
assured this was intentional, I don’t think it works – it seems that the song
simply cuts out where some kind of more musical progression to end the demo would
be more appropriate. Put it this way – it gives the impression of the band shouting
‘there’s our ideas guys, now fuck off’ at the end. A small problem, but one
that leaves a slightly bitter taste in the mouth.
Another debut, Fallen Angel Of Doom should be played to all poseurs at maximum volume. Ahem. Now banned from playing in the USA, Canada's Blasphemy were surely one of the best early black/thrash bands, not to mention the pioneers of the whole bestial black metal scene. Although much aped since, especially by their countrymen, Fallen Angel Of Doom remains untouched in its pure uncompromising aggression and quality. Not to be passed up upon.
