The Demo Review:
Band Name: Whorrid
Demo Title: Bitch Butchers
Band Members: Ivan Galdamez - Lead Guitars, Vox, Bass; Ed Baugh - Drums, Vox; Andrew Rafacz - Guitar
Location: Chicago, IL

Rating: 5 Skulls

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    • Slither's Review:
    No drum triggers, No special effects, No bullshit lyrics.

    A slogan like that is certainly refreshing in the heyday of digital recording. Mind you I started recording on A-DAT tapes, which is still digital, but it wasn't until Pro Tools and its many clones came around that I was really soured on modern recording. If only you knew how many tech death bands wouldn't be quite so "tech" without their loops, cross fades, and the copy n' paste command. That being said, Whorrid have produced the kind of demo I would be proud to engineer. These are live recordings, everyone in one room, all instruments miced up, and just a few punches at the end to clean things up. On a recording like this, you know exactly what the band sounds like and that really tears down some barriers between artist and listener.

    In the realm of demos I tend to be much more lenient on production values, but such considerations aren't necessary here. The sound of this album is very solid and can stand up to any release by Mortuary or The Chasm. My only complaint is the distortion on the bass, that is mostly because I am a bass player and I hate it when that instrument gets buried in the mix. Let's face it, in down-tuned death metal the bass has to fight for any audibility as it is. On this recording, guitarist Ivan Galdamez is holding down bass duties due to lack of another member, my suggestion for future recordings is to kill the effects pedal and scoop out a nice healthy place in the frequency range, because the note choice complements the music nicely, but it's just smothered under all the other tones.

    Whorrid may hail from Chicago, but their approach to death metal is saturated in the style prevalent south of the border. They tackle composition with a mixture of heavy handed brutality and dark melody. In essence, splitting the difference between the styles of The Chasm and their offshoot band Serpens Aeon - and that, my friends, is a damn fine place to be. This demo may only be three tracks long, but three tracks are plenty for Whorrid to prove they are a new musical presence that demands attention. These guys have huge potential; with a decent budget and some label support they could unleash a spectacular album.
    5 out of 5

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