Originally written by Jon Eardley
Martriden were spawned from the relatively ‘metal quiet’ state we know as Montana, yet the state’s lack of metallic offspring hasn’t stopped the members from taking their years of love for the genre and putting all of that unabashed admiration into one of the best sounding demos I’ve heard this year. Recorded with producer Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage, Throcult, Nightbringer) at his own Flatline Audio studio in Denver, Colorado, the combination of both band and producer has churned out a concrete first offering by a group that should be making superbly executed music like this for many years to come.
This self-titled EP is a 25:40 minute four song spin heavily rooted in basic riff driven death metal with a smidgeon of symphonic blackness somewhat hidden deep in the background, thanks to some sparsely used keyboards. Sprinkle that with a favorable amount of melodic licks to give the songs some seasoned hook, and that’s their formula for success. There are several layers of guitars with the main rhythm tracks coming across super chunky while the savory brushes with melody float along the current with a stream-like passion of pungent and majestic liquidity. The thunderous kicks and bombastic toms are heavily triggered, and while that may be a deterrent for those who desire a more organic sound, they are not so overbearing as to take anything away from the music as a whole. The vocals aren’t forced but confidently spewed forth with a low end girth of a rumbling and cavernous nature. Add the fact that most of the wording is audible thanks to an admirably enunciated delivery and you’re left with a strong and absorbing vocal performance.
“Blank Eye Stare” reeks of ear perking riffage coupled with some rapid-fire kicks that help emphasize the triplet heavy structuring, and the speedy single note picking on “The Art of Death Infernal” seethes through with breakneck fury with the help of the down tuning used by the these talented riff masters. The melodic, heavy “In Death We Burn” shines with a molecular Gothenburg-esque influence with its somewhat simpler underlying riffage that provides the perfect foundation for the display of melodic runs heard over top. Make no mistake, however, because this is not simply a melodeath tribute but rather a song that uses the melody heard throughout to offer the song a chance to breathe life rather than suffer from staleness. Closer “Set a Fire in our Flesh” sees the band banter with a folk tinged acoustic section right around the 3:45 mark that shows some songwriting diversity and is a welcome change of pace. This flirtation with some soft acoustics can be heard in the previous songs as well, but it’s here that softness really gleams with remarkable maturity considering this is such a young group of upstarts.
All in all this is a very well produced demo definitely worth pursuing. Two of the four tracks can be heard on the band’s Myspace page and I strongly recommend you head on over there and give them a listen. It’ll be interesting to see if Martriden can come up with a complete album’s worth of such compelling compositions, and any and all record labels should take note because it’ll be a shame if the band isn’t signed when they indeed do prepare to plunge forth into the underground with their full length debut.
