Existing Threat – Hostile Ground
Self-released – February 2006
By Russell Garwood
Northern Ireland’s Existing Threat chose an apt title for their sophomore demo. Hostile Ground is the musical equivalent of my neighbour’s hissy cat of death, which tries to claw my eyes out whenever I walk by. In fact – hard as this is to admit – it may be even more aggressive than that feline bringer of death and destruction. The four tracks (plus an instrumental bonus) featured are harsh death metal, combined with strong thrash influences. Guttural growls are accompanied by blasting drums, and powerful bass. The heavy guitars hold some melody, while precise rhythm work and sporadic solos keeps everything interesting. ’Found Face Down’ has to be a standout, with a nice balance between extremity and accessibility, and making excellent use of quieter sections to break up the brutality.
Hostile Ground is a solid demo from a young band. This isn’t rewriting any rule books, but Existing Threat are good at what they do. Well written songs and tight performances create a mature effort - one that’s likely to find a lot of favour amongst death and thrash fans. Those in the UK should be able to catch the band on tour later this year. Promising stuff.
6/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Official Existing Threat Myspace page
Self-released – February 2006
By Russell Garwood
Northern Ireland’s Existing Threat chose an apt title for their sophomore demo. Hostile Ground is the musical equivalent of my neighbour’s hissy cat of death, which tries to claw my eyes out whenever I walk by. In fact – hard as this is to admit – it may be even more aggressive than that feline bringer of death and destruction. The four tracks (plus an instrumental bonus) featured are harsh death metal, combined with strong thrash influences. Guttural growls are accompanied by blasting drums, and powerful bass. The heavy guitars hold some melody, while precise rhythm work and sporadic solos keeps everything interesting. ’Found Face Down’ has to be a standout, with a nice balance between extremity and accessibility, and making excellent use of quieter sections to break up the brutality.
Hostile Ground is a solid demo from a young band. This isn’t rewriting any rule books, but Existing Threat are good at what they do. Well written songs and tight performances create a mature effort - one that’s likely to find a lot of favour amongst death and thrash fans. Those in the UK should be able to catch the band on tour later this year. Promising stuff.
6/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Official Existing Threat Myspace page
