Being British, when I think of Spain, I think of budget beach holidays with cheap flight packages (Or if like my Nan you don't like flying, a Ferris coach holiday) and even cheaper sangria...I think of Sun, I think of Pedalo's...I think of idiots on scooters that sound like hair dryers seemingly constantly lapping your hotel...what I certainly don't think about, is Gothic metal...however...if we venture onto the continent and visit the city of Murcia we'll discover more to music than maracas! Let me introduce you to DEMISED...formed back in 1996 and originating as a death metal outfit, the four-piece (consisting of vocalist Andrés Pestana, guitarist Alex Yustre, drummer Adrián Hidalgo and bassist Paco Porcel) have mellowed, altering their sound and, are this year releasing the brand new album "A Warm Place To Stay"...metaphoric of love and belonging in one's arms, or quite literally the most basic description of Murcia you'll find on Trivago? Let's find out...
We rather originally begin with "Intro" and it quite simply does exactly what it says on the tin; at less than two minutes you're introduced to the album via the haunting melodies of a children's choir, accompanied by church bells and rain fall, it's incredibly dramatic and sombre, allowing for a cold and foreboding initiation, before we delve into first track proper "Fractures & Ashes". Here we truly set the tone for the album and it's a surprisingly judicious interpretation of what is a traditionally very non-Spanish genre...the guitar chugs along with some slow but steady riffs and it owes more than a fair amount of credit to PARADISE LOST, the addition of the synths towards the tracks climax add extra depth and add more creative flare but even without them, it's a strong, traditional Gothic metal track and done very well too. That influence can also be heard on "From The Storm", very reminiscent of mid 90's transitional era Paradise Lost this, with a dramatic style harbouring nods to TIAMAT, the lengthy piano segment leading on to a fade out closing the track with a feeling of opulence...
Elsewhere too, tracks such as "Vastness" with it's melodic guitars and organ-esque synths take the listener on a dreary, almost despairing journey, while "Where We All Belong" channels early THE 69 EYES in it's own low key misery, fueled by some exceptionally deep vocals providing some true Gothic beauty, before "The Mournful Flight" ends things with more up-tempo characteristics; hints of AVANTASIA benefit this blend of melodic metal, closing the album on a pleasant note. The album as a whole isn't entirely on point however, with tracks such as "Top Of The Path" and the title track generally being slow and sluggish (although the latter does retain interest with the addition of Loly Mateo, airing the track with her hushed clean vocals)...sometimes resulting in more gloom than doom. Murcia ain't Whitby to say the very least but here, Demised put the 'pain' in Spain...they clearly have a respect for the genre paying homage to some of it's heavyweights and doing so with a level of class, however unexpected it may be...I mean let's be honest...The Addams Family wasn't filmed in Benidorm now, was it...[6]
We rather originally begin with "Intro" and it quite simply does exactly what it says on the tin; at less than two minutes you're introduced to the album via the haunting melodies of a children's choir, accompanied by church bells and rain fall, it's incredibly dramatic and sombre, allowing for a cold and foreboding initiation, before we delve into first track proper "Fractures & Ashes". Here we truly set the tone for the album and it's a surprisingly judicious interpretation of what is a traditionally very non-Spanish genre...the guitar chugs along with some slow but steady riffs and it owes more than a fair amount of credit to PARADISE LOST, the addition of the synths towards the tracks climax add extra depth and add more creative flare but even without them, it's a strong, traditional Gothic metal track and done very well too. That influence can also be heard on "From The Storm", very reminiscent of mid 90's transitional era Paradise Lost this, with a dramatic style harbouring nods to TIAMAT, the lengthy piano segment leading on to a fade out closing the track with a feeling of opulence...
Elsewhere too, tracks such as "Vastness" with it's melodic guitars and organ-esque synths take the listener on a dreary, almost despairing journey, while "Where We All Belong" channels early THE 69 EYES in it's own low key misery, fueled by some exceptionally deep vocals providing some true Gothic beauty, before "The Mournful Flight" ends things with more up-tempo characteristics; hints of AVANTASIA benefit this blend of melodic metal, closing the album on a pleasant note. The album as a whole isn't entirely on point however, with tracks such as "Top Of The Path" and the title track generally being slow and sluggish (although the latter does retain interest with the addition of Loly Mateo, airing the track with her hushed clean vocals)...sometimes resulting in more gloom than doom. Murcia ain't Whitby to say the very least but here, Demised put the 'pain' in Spain...they clearly have a respect for the genre paying homage to some of it's heavyweights and doing so with a level of class, however unexpected it may be...I mean let's be honest...The Addams Family wasn't filmed in Benidorm now, was it...[6]
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