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Beyond the Desert > Prometheus > Reviews
Beyond the Desert - Prometheus

This demo is a good starting point. - 70%

oneyoudontknow, December 3rd, 2007

Studio tracks:

When writing this review the Metal Archives entry of Beyond the Desert (BTD) offers some nice information which are worth to be mentioned here: the actual line-up of BTD consists of members of two bands, which like BTD play Death Metal. The whole line-up of ‘No Mercy’ as well as parts of ‘Rise of Gomora’ form together this Death Metal band, which has recently released their first demo through Heerwegen Tod Productions, Poland.

These four musicians are able to play their instruments and to write some catchy and nice songs; this is not the general rule nowadays. Except for the intro, the songs last between two and five minutes and vary with the length in tempo and style. While shorter ones are rather linear in the way they have been composed, longer ones offer more variation and complexity; something the band is actually able to handle. Keyboards have not been used on this demo, while samples only scarcely; yet they work fine with the music; but I would state that it would do no harm to the music to see some more of them in the future.

As stated before the band offers two different kinds of compositions and attempts to play music. The longer ones are more enjoyable, as they offer the listener more than the short ones. More in complexity and in tempo can be recognized and they are not so plain written like the short ones. Especially the switches in tempo and the different kind of riffs which are used help to make the compositions going and to keep them interesting. Speaking of riffs, they are not too technical, but still rather typical for the genre. Also is the brutality limited to the shorter tracks, while the longer ones atmosphere is influenced by a more moderate style.

Two guitars, bass, drums and vocals have been used to create the music of BTD. Two guitars form the basis of the music and this element is also dominating the sound with their mixing in the foreground. In terms of the riffs, the band varies between fast guitar picking and slower played ones. Only a small amount of progressiveness influenced the band while writing their music. Therefore breaks and variation of tempi are used not extensively over the whole length of the record. Short solo parts are webbed into the tracks and they are played quite well. The track Inquisition is a good example for the potential of the band and it is the outstanding track of the demo. It consists of several solo parts, tempo variation and a neat coexistence of music and sample at the end of it; a really good idea to combine these elements this way.

What would I criticize? This is a tough question this time. A little bit odd is the production, not because some instruments could use some more power or the mixing is not optimal, but through the two different sessions the demo seems to be recorded in. After the first two tracks there is a break and the guitars sound utterly different on the track(s) thereafter. Some power in respect of the whole aspect of the bass (guitar, drums) would be nice. Another aspect lies in the perception of the short tracks. Those who like fast and dirty Death Metal might favour the shorter ones, whereby they sound to me too odd and too simple written to enjoy them or to be fascinated by them for a longer period of time. I perceive the longer tracks as better as the likeliness to find a (full) elaboration of ideas is better than in shorter ones, from my perspective. Some additional variation on the vocals would be nice, as I perceive them often as too generous and some more in the style on ‘Marks of Apocalypse’ would have a positive effect on the music.

Live tracks:

The last two tracks of the demo are from a live performance in Lubin. ‘Marks of the Apocalypse’ is a track from their first demo, while ‘Mówili kiedy?’ is a cover from a song originally composed by the Polish band Turbo. Both suffer a little bit from the raw sound, but the performance is quite solid. The cover version differs a little bit from the original version, yet it is interesting to hear a Death Metal band perform a track of a Heavy Metal band; the track of their choice was taken from the debut of this band. It is performed without the opening part, but BTD tried to stay true to the tempo and atmosphere of the song, but without playing the same amount of complexity in riffs. Yet, where is the crowd?

Conclusion
For a first demo BTD has done a pretty good job. There are some neat ideas are already present and the good production fosters the overall positive impression. Perhaps should try to decide what they want to play: shorter or longer songs. Vader is one band that comes to my mind while listening to this demo, but the band does never reach the brutality and power of this band.

Recommended: Inquisition

Short:
Performance: good Death Metal, with some progressive elements.
Production: too little of the bass-guitar/-drums, otherwise quite good.
Song-writing: varies; interesting long tracks; short ones sometimes odd.
Booklet: lyrics, nice cover, professional layout, four pages.