Demigod - Shadow Mechanics (Spikefarm)

It's always a treat when something like this happens. Demigod, a band that, ten years ago, released one of the most impressive and underrated Scandinavian death metal albums in the scene's (oh, how I hate that word) heyday with Slumber Of Sullen Eyes (1992), not long before having it go permanently out of print due to a label schism and abruptly dropping off the radar has returned with a very different lineup and a revamped sound. Where Slumber... was a dark, brooding and depressive piece of atonally melodic death metal, the sophomore full-length, Shadow Mechanics sees Demigod not only expanding the scope of their death metal sound, but also venturing into other, somewhat unexpected musical realms. The result is an album that is far more diverse than 95% of recent metal releases without, for the most part, coming off hokey or inconsistent.

Shadow Mechanics starts off sounding much like a natural continuance of the Slumber... sound. ‘My Blood Your Blood’ is a solidly composed slab of thick death metal in the classic Finnish style, which is not surprising since it was written primarily by Esa Linden, who was responsible for much of what was heard on Demigod's debut. This song is rife with impressive and tasteful lead guitar work and a catchy (almost hummable, even) chorus. However, somewhere along the line in the second track, ‘In the Mirrors‘, we begin to hear distinct progressions in the form of an injection of clean vocals and a thrashier riffing style than was heard on Slumber Of Sullen Eyes.

As the album continues, we hear some far more drastic deviations from the death metal formula. Track 5, "Trail of Guilt" is a slow, doomy, almost ballad-like song that's quite reminiscent of Edge of Sanity at their creative peak. ‘Gates of Lamentation’ is a total barnburner that brings to mind The Chasm's ‘Fading...’, and is another of the three songs on this album co-penned by Esa Linden. ‘Silent With Earth’ has some inventive lower-end death/clean vocal mixing that, coupled with its mid-paced riffing, gives it a bit of an Amok-era Sentenced feel. ‘Crimson Tears’ is pure ballad that is sung entirely by keyboardist Mika Haapasalo, who has a clean vocal style that falls somewhere between those of Pasi of Amorphis and Mikael of Opeth.

Throughout Shadow Mechanics, the band inserts a healthy dosage of acoustic guitars, dual vocals and infectiously catchy death metal riffage, which make for a very enjoyable listen. However, this album isn't without its problems. For starters, the drumming, while tight, is quite bland and often fails to complement the very lively guitar work. It brings back not-so-fond memories of when Louie Clemente was in Testament. Additionally, the clean vocals aren't the greatest - on ‘Crimson Tears‘, the monotony of Haapasala's singing somewhat dampens the mood of an otherwise beautiful song; and at the end of ‘Silent With Earth‘, there is a rather awkward sounding passage where the vocals are reminiscent of a bad Type O-Negative cover band. And finally, there are a few songs that sound a bit underdeveloped, especially ‘Where the Shadows Clash‘, which has all the makings of a monumental track, but was sold short by a rather repetitive lyric set.

Overall, though, Shadow Mechanics is a great album that goes to show that there is life after Scandeath. Demigod managed to effectively progress away from the heavy Autopsy influence that was ubiquitous in early 90s Scandinavian death metal without losing any personality or intensity, and for that they deserve high praise.

By: Roman M. Temin