Good & Evil

It doesn't take this demo long to display its true nature. I’m usually pretty lenient with a band’s first demo, but this is a thrash demo; therefore, it’s held to a higher standard. That said, Good and Evil is not a demo you’ll be putting in your top ten, to say it nicely. Python is a band that nailed all the basics of the late 80’s thrash sound, but failed to grasp the subtleties of it, resulting in a product that impresses initially, but gets old fast.

The things that are good about these guys are immediate. The production is raw, the guitar and bass tones are fantastic, the drums sound as good as they’re played, and the instrumentation is well thought out. This is mid-paced thrash at best, mind you, but it’s done as well as it’s ever been. Driving rhythms, nice harmonies, occasional atmospheric clean riffs, and plenty of guitar breaks. Actually, considering the vocalist’s style, a lot of the music is reminiscent of early Iced Earth, almost to the point of ripping off their first two albums. If you don’t mind a little Iced Earth worship, you’ll dig the riffs and the vocals here, which are the parts of this demo I consider the best. And did I mention that the drummer is really good?

The things that are wrong with this album become apparent soon enough. The lyrics might sound okay at first listen, but soon enough they start to reveal their simplicity. They sound even worse when read. Very generic, ambiguous lines about demons and evil with some occasional Christian undertones (they become overtones on "Crucifixation," a song clearly about the death of Jesus Christ). Pretty uneffective throughout. Worse in my opinion are the lead guitar moments. Solos are very infrequent, mostly harmony lead based with only two occasions of actual fast soloing. You’d think that keeping the solos to a minimum would make them more memorable and/or technical, but unfortunately, both solos are very brief, incredibly simple, and contribute nothing to the overall composition. Solos for the sake of soloing, but without impressing anybody. I never thought I’d say this, but the songs would actually have been better off without them. The songs themselves are divided into two kinds, the faster ones (still mid-paced) and the slower ones that interchange said occasional atmospheric clean riffing with the recycled Iced Earth riffs. There's not a whole lot of distinction between them, as they're pretty consistent in mood, but the songs manage to stay interesting, however marginally that may be.

Overall, neither the songs here or the band are truly terrible. I don’t hate any aspects (besides the lyrics and fast leads) and this demo does make for a decent listen now and again. But it offers nothing I haven’t already heard, serving only to refresh my memory on how mediocre thrash sounds compared to the good shit. Python’s second demo does sound a lot better than this, but considering the band is probably done for good (as of this review, only the drummer is keeping their name alive), they aren’t leaving much of a legacy.