Demo Title: Biologic
Band Members: Craig Swallows (vocals), Michael Lee Ostrander (guitars), Scott Gates (bass), Michael J. Carreras (drums, vocals)
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Band Name: Systemic
Demo Title: Biologic Band Members: Craig Swallows (vocals), Michael Lee Ostrander (guitars), Scott Gates (bass), Michael J. Carreras (drums, vocals) Location: Albuquerque, NM Rating: 4 Skulls
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Jotun's Review:
I know I've said this before, but it's difficult for any metalhead to listen to a pile of demos and find more than one or two that actually sound like a solid effort was put forth to write, perform, record, and release a product that's worth taking the time to listen to. It's that much harder to find this proverbial "diamond in the rough" when you receive unsolicited demos on a regular basis. However, Systemic certainly makes the cut.After consulting the band's Web site, I see that they are on the verge of releasing a new album this month. So this demo review is a little late, but maybe some of you will check them out based on the impression they left with me. Thankfully, there's a jukebox feature on the site that allows you to listen to their entire Biologic album over the Internet. Bonus points for them.
Systemic charges right out of the station with a Pantera-like scourge of dirt metal riffs (from "Retribution" to "One Second Peace") crossed with circling guitar solos and harsh vocals that bring thoughts of Meshuggah to mind. I was also rather impressed with the band's ability to stick with a formula through much of the song "Breathe" before charging into a musical interlude. However, unlike many young acts that are doing this simply to show off a little, and end up losing their way in the process, Systemic does a good job of returning to the original direction and mood before the song comes to a close.
I was impressed with Biologic's relatively good production value, as well as the band's ability to clearly execute the product that they sent out to produce. There are only one or two sticking points. For one thing, I feel that vocalist Craig Swallows needs to get a little more creative with the lyrics. They're not sappy or incomprehensible, but they are a bit contrite and could use a larger injection of personal experience and passion. Also, depending on the direction that the band is looking to take their sound, I would prefer that he sticks to the harsh vocals and can the partially clean vocals that pop up here and there - particularly if the band chooses to explore their extreme metal side some more.
Which brings me to my last point. While Systemic certainly does shred with some of the best young bands out there, I can also hear an underlying nu metal commercial tendency that peeks through every now and again. "Surgical Solution" begins to touch on this point and the following track, "The Defiant," follows the formula closely. The latter is an example of a track that I would probably skip over at first and may become desensitized to after a while, but it does have a Godsmack or Disturbed feel to it, which may be something the band would like to hear. However, I think Systemic is better than that. They all but proved that they're better than that as they moved back into the spotlight with the next few tracks. Systemic should continue to challenge themselves to write creative and complex material. If they do this, they're sure to win over a ton of new fans.
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