Demos

Demo Review: Smokescreen

[Region: Cambs/Lincs]
[Demo: Regret Redeem Refine]

The Loose boys, Tom and Sam, along with bandmates Dave Cooper (bass) and Oli Walkers (drums) have been refining their metal talent since 2001 and the advances they’ve made are getting them increasingly noticed. Their live show is most certainly what sets them apart and, having gigged with bands of the calibre of Prong, Panic Cell and Breed 77, it’s helped them tidy their stagecraft. That doesn’t mean there’s not plenty of studio material to choose from too with three EPs available. This one’s titled ‘Regret Redeem Refine’ and boasts within a coming-together of many genres.

‘Contemplation’ is an opening minute and a half of acoustic wheedling meets Metallica-styled buzzed electrics and serves to introduce the sludge and thrash of ‘Hatred Comes’. Like some kind of bastard offspring of Down and Sepultura’s it howls with fuzzed-up speed-shredding overlaid with croon and growl vocals. The crossovers don’t end there - there’s also Pantera and Maiden-esque riffs and solid, stabbing big-bollocked rock drums to be found at points through the demo.

’Break The Given’ brings more of the thrash with blistering drum parts and playful guitars. Here, the vocals sound a little light, weak and disconcertingly passionless on the chorus as they go into a softer croon but hammer back hard when the roar returns. With the middle section falling away into a volley of skittering guitars and pistoning double-kicks, the structure allows the vocal to end strongly with a double-helping of a half-spat “regret, redeem, refine.”

‘Disillusions’, again has dark leanings striking, as it does, into a series of aural hit and runs. ‘Axe To Grind’ is the stand-out track here - great dollops of power and aggression come from the rumbling bass and bring to mind the warring qualities of Soulfly. The occasional melodic vocal that rises out of the mix seems a little out of keeping with this theme but there is no denying the sense-shattering force behind the roared vocal that forms the meat of the track - which one is Raging Speedhorn’s Jon Loughlin (making a guest appearance) isn’t clear but I know which one my money’s on.

The band have proved themselves here and judging from our previous sighting they can certainly bring it to the stage. Wisbech and Spalding, two small towns on the border of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, aren’t renknowst as great hotbeds of metal but Smokescreen certainly have shown the passion to take their music further afield. Unsurprisingly, they’re currently on tour so get to a show and see just what you’re missing.

2 Aug 2008 - Travellers Rest, Lincoln
14 Aug 2008 - Queen Charlotte, Norwich
16 Aug 2008 - Queens Arms, Kings Lynn
6 Sep 2008 - The Rigger, Stoke-On-Trent
24 Sep 2008 - Underworld, London
26 Sep 2008 - The Shed, Leicester
4 Oct 2008 - The Travellers Rest, Lincoln
31 Oct 2008 - The Axe and Cleaver, Boston

For Fans Of: Corrosion Of Conformity, Soulfly, Pantera

Band Link:
Smokescreen

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