The Demo Review:
There are currently 1 Reviews of this Demo.
Average Rating: 3
Band Name: Militia
Demo Title: Fire at Will
Band Members: LEAD / RHYTHM GUITAR, VOCALS: JOE POLIDORI; RHYTHM, LEAD GUITAR : PAUL COUTS; BASS: THOMAS SHEPHERD; DRUMS: ERIC ERVIN
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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    • Blind's Review:
    The second I saw the band name Militia I thought of Metallica's "Metal Militia". I wasn't very far off, either; this band has one serious case of 80's Metallica envy. That's not necessarily a bad thing; it just is.

    For one thing, the production is a lot like Kill 'Em All: a bit raw, but appropriate for the blistering riffs found throughout songs like, "The Beforemath". Joe Polidori, the vocalist, even sounds like he's trying to sound like a very young, alcoholic James Hetfield-even with the characteristic "-yah!" on the end of most hooks. Dude does a pretty good job; I'll give him that.

    So let's see: the band isn't scoring any points for originality, but like other good things (like Pepsi after Coke), who gives a shit? I've found myself banging my head since track two, and that's good enough for me!

    Problems:

    1. The opener sucked ass. "Plead" = slow, repetitive and boring. (The disc certainly gets moving with "The Beforemath," though.)
    2. The production: okay, I know what I said above. But as one might guess, what was good in 1983 isn't necessarily sufficient twenty years later. Keep in mind Megadeth's last release, The World Needs a Hero, was also pretty thrashy, but the production was top notch. Unfortunately, that is not so here.
    3. The drummer needs some practice. He falls behind on several occasions, and he uses almost zero double bass. (Lars Ulrich had the same problem... oh wait; he still does.)

    Lest I deter you, I want to convey that Militia hits the mark with three of the five songs (excluding the first track and "Too Bad," where I found myself yawning) with this solid demo. If you want some excellent eighties thrash-inspired metal, check 'em out!
    3 out of 5

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