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Demon Sword > Christ Blood > Reviews
Demon Sword - Christ Blood

Killer Black Metal Guitar/Vocal - 92%

3EyedGoat, February 1st, 2008

Demon Sword is a completely sick one-man black metal band out of Las Vegas. All instrumentation and vocals are performed by Scorpius, a shadowy figure about which not much is known other than he is part of the HLP Army and has played with Breath Of Sorrows. There are at least two demos out and I would recommend both if you can find them. This is a review for the release entitled, "Christ Blood."

First off, Scorpius plays a brutal guitar. While talented guitarists aren't unheard of in the realm of black metal, they are somewhat rare. And, the ones who can actually play often rely on riffs that are too thrashy, inadvertently cheapening the aesthetics of the black metal style. Or they're in some poser band, and so it really doesn't matter how well they play. Demon Sword comes across as totally uncompromising and dedicated to the discipline of true underground black metal.

Another point of excellence on this release are the vocals. Scorpius has a deep demonic growl that deserves some description. Something about the vocals seems to burn. This is not the icy Nordic screech found on so many classic black metal releases from Northern Europe. And why would it be? Scorpius is coming from the desert. No bitter, howling winds there. It has always bugged me when vocalists from somewhere warm like LA or Florida attempt to emulate the Norwegians. Pretty ridiculous when you think about it.

Each of the six songs are killer, with the title track being my favorite. All in all, one the better releases I've heard in a long while. Hail Scorpius!