The Demo Review:

	There are currently 1 Reviews of this Demo. Average Rating: 4
Band Name: Battalion Demo Title: Excessive Force Band Members: Lee Davis (Vocals) Tony Doan (Bass), Chuck Marshall, a.k.a "Smoothie" (Lead Guitar), Bill Fitzpatrick (Drums), Kevin Linn (Guitar). Location:Chelsea, MI Email for This Artist Official Web Site for This Artist Discuss on the Metal Judgment Web Board

Musashi's Review:
Okay, I admit it: I have been really uninspired to write demo reviews lately. With all the crappy demos I have to listen to, can you blame me? It takes every once of strength to keep from putting the barrel in mouth sometimes and pulling the trigger. I really signed my own death warrant when I decided to do these demo reviews. You motherfuckers are taking years off my life! I feel like one of those pigs that they use in France to dig up truffles: I dig through shit until I find that one turd that is actually worth something. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to make any money with your turd demos.
I understand that there has been a lot of anticipation for this week's review. I got into a discussion with Chuck a.k.a Smoothie on our webboard quite some time ago and asked him to submit his demo for review. Well, it took a while for that demo to reach my hands and eventually get into my CD player. I am glad that Battalion is going to be my first review of 2003.
First, I have to give props to Smoothie for having the balls to send in his CD for review, especially since I am known for giving crappy scores to most bands. Second, I have to thank everyone for having the patience to wait for this review.
Nothing would be better than to give this demo a zero skull review. Then I would get tons of hatemail and the webboard would be crawling with insulting posts about me. I seriously considered panning the CD for those reasons alone. Unfortunately, I cannot honestly say that Excessive Force is a bad CD. It is actually very well done. My biggest problem with the CD is that it is ten years old.
The CD starts off with the sound of a motor revving and tires squealing, then a police siren. I thought it was going to be a Motley Crüe song, but then it kicked in and sounded more like Slayer. I am immediately taken back at least a decade or more by the sound of this CD. If you refer to the bio on their website, you will see that this material is at least ten years old. Nonetheless, the music, the playing and the production is impressive even by today's standards.
Lee Davis really sings well. He reminds me, oddly enough, of a cross between Bruce Dickinson and Dee Snider (in a good way). The style is reminiscent of when singers in metal bands actually tried to sing. I find it hard too listen to this without laughing at how cliché it sounds, but then I remember it was done ten years ago when it was an acceptable cliché. This was when everyone had hair, except maybe that one dude in Anthrax. This was back when Nuno Bettencourt was stinking everything up.
What the fuck ever happened to Nuno? Speaking of Nuno, Smoothie sounds nothing like Nuno Bettencourt. Smoothie has some good chops. He plays all the right notes and licks and plays them at an acceptable speed. There is nothing that stands out as awesome, but he is really good. You should check out "The Postman Always Shoots Twice" at mp3.com for a good example of his shreddiness.
I am still in awe of the Battalion band photo. Why is it that I cannot tell that the band photo on this CD is ten years old? What is it about metalheads, that they have neither changed their appearance nor gotten more attractive in more than a decade? Now, Gary Cherone, there is a good-looking man. What ever happened to Gary Cherone? Has anyone seen C.C. Deville? Is that dude from Warrant still fat?
Sorry, my point is that Battalion is old news. As good as this demo is all around, it is still ten years old and outdated. Why keep a website dedicated to a band and a record that are entirely defunct and have no real market value? Because you are living in the past, that's why! Let it go! Get over it! Smoothie, you need to write some new material and get a band in the studio and start recording it. It is obvious that you are an excellent musician and that you have all the tools you need to make a kick ass band. Stop devoting so much time and effort to a project that has no value other than nostalgia. I'm docking one skull because this shit is so old.

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