Matron
- Demonic Sanatorium
Thanks to Sam from the band for the CD. The five
protagonists are Marcus “Hell” - vocals and guitar,
Sam “Bog” - guitar, Mr Bones - bass, Dave “Keys”
- er keyboards, and Tim - drums. A self release, Marcus writes
all the music, and Sam is responsible for the mixing and production.
-
Intro (The Prophet). Suitably
atmospheric to start before a real statement of intent riff
kicks in. This then runs straight into...
-
Welcome To Hell. Essentially
it's a mid-tempo thrasher with keyboard interludes. Precisely
played with extreme metal vocals. A menacing slower section
shortly after the second verse is a real standout. Lengthy
soloing section follows, loads of hammers, overall it's very
melodic. Guitarists have contrasting styles and trade solos
effectively.
-
Blood Of Knights. The
keyboard intro precedes a chuggy opening riff, overlaid with
extreme vocals. Chorus is very melodic and reminiscent of
Arch Enemy or even Accept. Would imagine
this track really comes into its own live.
-
Ultimate Bones. Military
feel drum/snare work to start. Again this one's a thrash metal
meets melodic death metal track. Keyboards during the early
stages of the track reminded me of Mercyful Fate
for some reason. Riffing is precise and intricate and is clearly
influenced by classic Maiden. Good guitar solos towards
the end precede a keyboard section which leads into the most
punishing riff on the EP – which repeats/fades to end.
The production is more than adequate, although
I would have liked the vocals to be more prominent. Musically
this is solid and the songwriting is good. Bet this really comes
into its own live – faster and chunkier I would guess. Keyboards
seem slightly superfluous to be honest, they tend to appear every
so often and seem a little disembodied. Promising enough EP overall,
it will be interesting to hear what their first full length sounds
like. If you ever need a gig in Birmingham give me a shout –
or should that be blood curdling scream?!!
