CIVIL UNREST
"Civil
Unrest" (self-produced; 2003)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
San Diego-based Civil Unrest's self-titled five-track demo is a healthy heaping of metal-fueled aggression that should attract some attention in metal underground.
Civil Unrest's sound is similar to the same kind of fury unleashed by Pantera throughout their career. Heavy guitars rage back and forth with a pummeling staccato not heard in recent years. The vocals lean toward more of a death metal-styled grunt which in most cases would be a serious detraction, but it seems to work here as long as the extreme variance in the vocals is reined in a bit.
Each of the five songs on this self-titled demo show Civil Unrest willing to explore the song-writing skills without going too far overboard in any one direction that would detract from their innate style. "Civil Unrest" is a good starting point for the band.
"Civil Unrest" was produced by Civil Unrest. The production is not bad for a demo, but I am of the opinion that Civil Unrest have the raw material in the recordings to make a much better sounding record when time and budget permit.
Civil Unrest: Ray on vocals, Shaun Anderson on guitars and vocals, Terry Engel on guitars, Jason York on bass, and Tushant on drums.
For more information visit http://www.civilunrest.cc/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2004 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 15 Apr 2024 15:20:24 -0400.
