Durvasag
“Element Of Pain”
2013
Upon hearing the first track of Element of Pain I was reminded of the demos of bands you can sometimes find from the 80’s. And while this Canadian outfit does not exactly sound like Exciter, another band from the land of the big red leaf, the rawness of the production reminded of band demos and some album from that era and style. The big separation of the two being the vocals between Exciter and Durvasag. While I like what I was hearing on Element of Pain there are some problems that many early demo tapes suffered. In this case the drums. Giordan loves to use his symbols and they crack into your head every time he hits one. The toms are dull and noticeable as well. The vocals, which I really like, still need to develop, but Arruda has that shout of a guy that used to play an instrument but decided to sing out of necessity for a front man. If I sound critical on this one, I am not, I actually really enjoyed listening to this. It is actually nice hearing everything this way, with a rawness like the four-track mixes of old. The first track Sacrifice was the real standout for me. I wish more bands could get this sort of analog reverby sound that is raw and real.
Tracklist:
1. Sacrifice
2. World Massacre Tour
3. Redemption
4. Nuclear Winds
5. Apocalypse
6. Demonic Entity (demo)
Members:
Emile Giordan – Drums/Backing Vocals
George Ondi – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Sergio Moyano – Bass/Backing Vocals
Rating: 8 out of 10
~Alaric Hannibal Barca