To have your demo reviewed here email: criticaltom@juno.com

Hearken "Arise" (2 Track cassette 8:37)USA
Available from Hearken

It was obvious from the band's name and their lyrics that Hearken is what I call a ministry band. A visit to their website, and that is all the more obvious. Sometimes ministry bands focus more on the message than on the music, but that is not the case here...
When I first started listening to this tape I was taken back by the heaviness, and professionalness of Hearken's music. Most of all, it is really good. Hearken sounds like a perfect blending of Mortification's scrolls of the Megilloth, and Living Sacrifice's Inhabit. This is not a vague comparison at all. Get this tape and you'll hear 8+ minutes of solid, grinding, interesting Metal. I didn't know an American band could sound this way.

Contact:
B.J. Southard
12213 Pine Ln.
Dickinson, TX 77539
(713) 814- 3886

Devout “Martyrdom” (4 Tracks. Cassette. Devout) New Zealand
Available from Devout

No doubt many of you already have this demo or at least have heard of it. If you don’t have it but consider yourself a fan of true metal, then I suggest you get it. It is really good. I certainly hope, after hearing these four songs, that Devout are able to record an album. This demo, by the way, is professionally recorded and sounds better than most demos I’ve heard.
I find myself always making comparisons. It is hard not to do this. But on this demo the various images that come to mind are quite diverse. First of all, there is a real primal Metal feel to the songs here, especially Martyrdom” that bring to mind Venom’s At War With Satan. Other times the vibe is more like progressive Doom. And the vocals certainly lend to a Lee Dorrian of Cathedral sound. I guess the bottom line is that Devout sound more like a secular band than a “cut out of the mold” Christian Metal band.
The lyrics here are very biblical with both direct and indirect quotations—if you don’t catch them you should read the Bible more.

contact:
Devout
c/o Kim Carter
266 Marine Parade
Christchurch 8007
NEW ZEALAND

One Flesh “1998 Demo” (4 Tracks. Cassette. Demo) USA
available from One Flesh

This four track demo from One Flesh demonstrates an extreme, aggressive blend of metal which is most accurately described as in the vein of Sepultura--hard, raw, thick metallic production, raspy vocals, big attitude, killer songs. Songs unashamedly attack one of the biggest enemies of morality: pornography. Some members of this band were in the band Antic. They are bound to attract some attention.

Contact:
Oneflesh
P.O. Box 626
Marietta, GA 30061
USA

Flesh Walker / Intears “Live Bootleg” (11 Tracks. Approx. 50 min.) AUSTRALIA
Available from Critical Mass $10.
The band you now know as Kohllapse was previously known by the two names listed above. These eleven tracks come from live shows when they were heavier and played like early Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride. This music goes well with Ashen Mortality also.

The quality of this tape is exceptional and was recorded off a mixing board. It is so good I may try one day to get it pressed (?) onto a disc. One of the highlights of this bootleg is that is has an earlier version of “Tell Me Your Fears”.

$10 to Critical Mass
c/o Tom Edmondson
7093 Doncaster Road
Jonesboro, GA 30236

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