Unsanctum: demo review

Review by Gav Revolt

Ive had this cd sitting around gathering dust for a few months now so its about time i give it another listen for the purpose of a review. To be honest i didnt have a clue what to expect of this band, having talked to their singer on Raw Nerve and reading the reviews on the same site, i really hoped i was in for a treat.

First thing to take note of is that when recorded, the band as a complete unit had been together for a matter of a few months, meaning the outcome is altogether that bit more surprising.......and then you find out that their ages range from 16-18 (bastards).

First track kicks in with some excellent drumming and fast paced guitar work, and some rather tasty brutal vox. What i like most is the style of the riffing, lurching around all over the place. This wonderful style remains throughout the remaining tracks, now what i like about it most is the catchiness of the riffs used, most of the time when i listen to a straight black metal band the riffs are rather disposable to my ears as theres so much going on. I prefer Unsanctum simply because the music is much more stripped down and remains memorable because of it.

Clocking in at a total running time of 11mins 17secs it really is over way too soon, however, there wont be too long to wait until new material is out as they have recently been snapped up by Cacophonous/Visible Noise, and plan to release their first album sometime in October of this year.

Take a look at the Unsanctum Website for more info one one hell of a crucial new british metal band, the first track is on there for download, i thoroughly recommend taking a look.