The Demo Review:

	There are currently 1 Reviews of this Demo. Average Rating: 5
Band Name: Terricon Band Members: Jeff Anderson (vocals), Przemysoah Wojciechowski (guitars), Brian Benjamin (guitars), Marcus Villano (drums), Norman Nilson (bass) Location: Brooklyn, NY Discuss on the Metal Judgment Web Board

Death's Review:
Brace yourself, dear readers, for the impending arrival of Terricon, one of the best new bands I have heard in a long, long time.
Too many bands get lost in the great divide: not commercial enough to be considered catchy, not brutal enough for the mainstream. Sure, there are bands that arguably bridge the gap by blending nu-metal, tribal, rap or techno elements into the metallic equation (read SLIPKNOT, SOULFLY, MACHINE HEAD, FEAR FACTORY... basically the entire Roadrunner roster). But very few bands can effectively appease both audiences while playing straight-up (read: non sell-out) metal. I often like to say "there's no such thing as fun for the whole family," meaning what the teenage girl in the household likes will never be the same band as grandma prefers. Most acts therefore immediately choose their posion: commercial hooks and songwriting sensability or metallic intensity and progressive musicianship. You simply can't have it both ways, can you?
Terricon can and does on this amazing pre-production demo which foreshadows what is certain to be a killer Summer/ Fall 2001 debut EP. Don't get me wrong: Terricon are most definitely a metal band, and a fairly heavy one at that. And, truth be told, grandma isn't going to like this one altogether that much better than she likes Dream Theater, Nevermore or Megadeth. But where most middle-level heavy acts fall flat on their face and end up sounding too lukewarm for anyone to enjoy, Terricon hit on a magic formula. By taking extraordinarily heavy downtuned-to-"B" 80's -thrash style riffage and advanced musicality and progressive elements, and backing them up with incessant double-bass drum pummeling and interesting patterns and fills, then tossing in killer lead playing and combining it all with Anderson's at times death-style and at other times sugary-sweet style vocal delivery, Terricon have struck on something truly unique.
For point of reference, Terricon the band sound like a combination between Megadeth, Pantera, Slayer, Nevermore, Iced Earth, In Flames, Soilwork, Black Label Society, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Arch Enemy and Judas Priest. Does this interest you? It should.
At the core, Terricon is defined by Anderson - who may very well be one of my favorite vocalists existing in metal today. He can hit the Rob Halford high-notes on occassion ("Save Me"), can evoke Layne Stayley of Alice in Chains combined with a darkly bluesey element ("Can't Escape"), has bits of the Dave Mustaine snarl ("Age of Deception"), yet for the most part stays locked somewhere in more of an Erik A.K. (Flotsam and Jetsam) / Geoff Tate (Queensryche) midrange. It really makes for interesting listening folks, and although I've cited a wide range of vocal styles here, his performance is consistent throughout the demo's nine tracks and maintains a solid voice. Even better are the introspective and personal, yet angry and aggressive, lyrics which are consistently excellent throughout - a couple of listens and you'll find yourself singing the words to yourself even if you can't remember why.
Wojciechowski's guitar riffs are also outstanding throughout, providing, at times, a deceptively simple bed for Anderson's vocals while subtlely requiring much precision and skill to execute underneath. Non-traditional six-string chords and intricate rythmic picking is the order of the day throughout the demo.
Lastly, the songwriting itself is diverse yet retains the core Terricon sound from song-to-song. Opener "Age of Deception" is by far the heaviest track, and has a nice vocal dynamic between the heavier growl and soft and smooth choruses. It is also quite the drumming double-bass workout, and witnessing Villano's performance of this one at MM3 should be a real treat. "Jaded" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard in some time, but on its face it is a mid-paced sixteenth note chugger which simply builds to an intense lyrical climax and features some excellent leads. Other songs like "Join the Dead" have almost a Nevermore feel, particularly when Anderson reaches for Sanctuary-era Warrel Dane level high register he so conservatively employs.
In short, Terricon, though only now circulating rough pre-produciton tracks to generate some pre-release buzz, is absolutely a band to watch in 2001. I am anxiously awaiting their MM3 debut to see if they can deliver on the promise of this demo in the live setting.

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