When we think of Death Metal what exactly springs to mind. In an age where almost every artist can be boxed into an unending array of genres how does one achieve sole dedication to one tag? It is almost comical that now it is so refreshing to hear artists whom stick to one genre, whilst genre-defying bands will always be something of interest there often seems to be an equal amount of excitement when a worship band comes storming along. Just look at Gruesome for example, pure Death worship and yet their popularity is immense.

Looking to some purist Death Metal we find Germany’s own Demonbreed. The band formed in 2015 and have since gone on to release a split, full length and now in 2018 an EP. Put out through Testimony Records this latest EP entitled Hunting Heretics aims to pick up where 2016’s Where Gods Come To Die left off. After achieving some high praise from their debut full length can the band heighten this legacy and bring some original yet plain Death Metal to the table?

The answer is yes they can bring some plain Death Metal to the table but its originality is certainly lacking. In fact musically this EP could be compared to forgetting to put to the salt on you ‘salt your own’ crisps. From the very beginning of Fear The Verdict we are exposed to a very generalised Death Metal sound, bland guitars and drum patterns which are further combined with atypical growling vocals that linger somewhere between the old school and the modern making for a yawn worthy combination. Even the more melodic passages of Confessions In Fire fail to grab the listeners attention, background music for the extreme.

Speaking of the melodic edge again even this is a notion that is tired and dull, unimaginative and drab. There is one thing that Hunting Heretics is good for though, showing someone just what Death Metal is. Do you want a blatant snapshot of modern Death Metal? Well here it is every bit as predictable as one might expect. Perhaps I am being a little harsh, maybe to the less seasoned listener this EP might spring forth with inspiration, but I’m just not hearing it.

Normally I hate to be this petty but down to the very smallest detail Hunting Heretics is drastically generic. The EP title, track names, even the artwork and the band’s logo are boring. Yet that is just the thing, not bad, just boring. As an overall sound Demonbreed are pretty solid, as I said they are perfect representation of modern Death Metal but unfortunately you need to be a little more than that. If you’ve come here for Death Metal then look up Cannibal Corpse instead

(4/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/demonbreedofficial

https://testimonyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/demonbreed-hunting-heretics