Demon King – The Final Tyranny

Band: Demon King
Title: The Final Tyranny
Label: The Artisan Era
Release date: 12 February 2021
Country: USA
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

So, for this week I decided on a particular group from Tennessee sort of blindly, however I do like the accent they have over there, and I have come to love the show Tennessee Wraith Chasers, so, sounded like fun to find out what else the state has to offer.

Demon King might not have a full-length album out yet, having only been formed in 2019, however, they don’t appear to have been laying around with idle hands in their laps since they did come out with a single the year the group formed, and now follow up with an EP which includes the single they first released. All the titles sound brutal and theatrical even, so I was sure I was in for a ride.

“Tyrannical Reign of the Deceiver” has an interesting start, it’s quite technical of course since the group does label itself as blackened technical death metal, but its rather musical and not too far out cacophonic. A backbone of traditional death and black metal is present including vibes of Old Man´s Child and Naglfar. The vocalist sounds like a goblin which goes well with the very modern production and well-balanced work. Smashing solo at the end closes this particular track in a way that reflects teamwork of all three members. They just make it sound so easy.

“Invoking the Spirit of Chaos” is lurking next in line, and I mean literally lurking. Distant howls, ghostly strings, creaking wood even, like those from a big gate opening or a ghost ship wagging back and forth at slow sea. With the music erupting in the same vein as the intro track this one goes in full speed with technical melodic death being the foundation, heavily spices with black atmosphere. A lot is going on which makes it a bit harder to really pinpoint anything to say, but it is a lot easier to get into though than other similar groups in the same genre and the tracks are not too long, so the listener won’t get tired of all the sugar these guys are throwing out.

“Transmutation of the Artilect” has a more powerful start, with a storytelling vibe it almost feels like the big boss in a video game is coming around the corner. The same vibe continues pretty much throughout the entire track, rather impressive, and not just because it appears as if these guys started practicing playing instruments in the state of sperm in some unknown ball sacks, but also by the way the songs are written.

Finally, we have “The Watcher, Wreathed in Flame” at the very end and this is the single that was released in 2019 by this group. The vocals come in almost instantly, and to think that someone is singing these things while playing these things on a guitar is quite remarkable. It´s all out war and all weapons in the arsenal are on duty. Normally I’m not a huge fan of this genre, however I do like this because its created with the music in mind.

Going for an EP was a smart choice by this band, since they don’t need much more than that not make a statement and take their place in the popularity ladder before starting to climb up with what I hope will soon be a full length debut. It´s death tech done right but might possibly be missing some identity especially with the production which sounds just like any other modern releases today. This group does take some bold steps but took the safe route with the sound. I hope they will have the guts to also take the sonic state of their music in the direction of their own, and if they do, they will have it all. 9/10 Julia Katrin

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9/10 : Epic Storm!
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