DAWN OF DEMISE

Denmark's DAWN OF DEMISE burst through the doors at the world death metal party in 2008 with an earth shaking Deepsend debut called "Hate Takes its Form". Probably one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated U.S. style death metal albums of the year, it boasts a thick, groovy and modern (though not "tech" modern) style that borrows selectively from SUFFOCATION (especially Scott Jensen's colossal growls),wrapped up in a massive production.

So what's all that have to do with the new "Lacerated" EP? Mainly, the same qualities heard on "Hate Takes its Form" are heard on the new offering. The only down side – if you can really call it that — is that of the five tracks, three are covers. That's just fine, especially if you are a fan. Just realize that if "Lacerated" is your first exposure to DAWN OF DEMISE, then you will be assessing the band's songwriting skill and delivery on only two tracks, "Extinction Seems Imminent" and "Ridden with Disgust". As it turns out, both are stout examples of the band's bulldozer death and quick strike kills that are essentially on par with the material on the full length.

And the covers? All three are capably performed and stick closely to the original arrangements. The cover of SUFFOCATION's "Infecting the Crypts" is no surprise, considering the group's professed love of the NYDM legends and the song sounds like a modern studio treatment of the original, the odd nuance notwithstanding. AT THE GATES' "Blinded by Fear" is a bit more interesting, primarily because of the traditional DM vocal treatment. The cover of OBITUARY's "Turned Inside Out" is not a big leap either, although it is a bigger one than "Infecting the Crypts". Here again, some of that has to do with the vocal approach. Everything is sonically acceptable. I just can't help but wonder if these would have been better as bonus tracks on a full-length (or two) instead of constituting 60 percent of an MCD.

The EP rounds out with a couple of videos. The first one is the title track from "Hate Takes its Form", a meat and potatoes performance. Though the second video is called "Extinction Seems Imminent" and is parenthetically noted as "Recording the EP" (indicating some sort of mini-documentary),it is basically a video for the song showing the band recording it and others in the studio.

The final verdict then? DAWN OF DEMISE fans will want to grab a copy of "Lacerated". The uninitiated will not necessarily be disappointed, but I would recommend starting with "Hate Takes its Form". If you dig that release, then consider "Lacerated".