Review Summary: Short and sweet demo with some rad songwriting
Fabricant is a two piece death metal band from California. The band originally started as a school project but slowly turned into something a little more serious. Though something that started as a school project may not seem like the most metal thing in the world it is evident when listening to this demo that this duo has a love for the genre. Prepare for a mouthwatering display of some extremely sinister death metal.
The demo opens with a creepy intro that features quotes from Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Terence Mckenna, and William James. All the quotes focus on the restrictions of reality and consciousness. The lyrics seem to be heavily inspired by the five quotes featured in "Prelude to Aberration" in the fact that they are often about pushing the boundaries of one's existence to a point beyond what is considered normal and the freedom that is gained with the disposal of sanity. The lyrics are very well written and take a step away from what one normally hears from a death metal album (though violent images are still described, the focus isn't completely on gore).
Both Dawson and Roberts contribute vocals throughout the demo. Here we have a healthy dose of deep growls blended with some demonic shrieks. The vocals are often layered. In many cases the growls are very reminiscent of early Deicide. The guitarwork has plenty going for it, when grooves come in the headbanging begins. When listening it is obvious the band knows how to write a great track and keep the structures as fresh as possible. The track "Staring At the Imprisoned" is probably the best song to represents the band's overall sound. The slower moments are ridiculously infectious, and when the band turns things up a notch a neckbrace is highly recommended.
The solos on the album aren't insanely technical or impressive but they fit the style and that's what honestly matters when all is said and done. Oddball fretwork is a frequent theme in this short burst of greatness. At times the guitar lingers into very disjointed sounding contortions that really give the demo a distinct sound. These moments are what have kept me coming back to this release after all of these years. The songs remain fresh and honestly have only gotten better to my ears after all of these years.
The drumming is excellent throughout this release. "Sojourn" has some very interesting drumming making it one of the biggest standouts on the release. There is more than enough variation in the playing for the release's short runtime. Dawson gives an energetic performance that works as the backbone of this release. Since this release the band has gained a new member but Dawson is still behind the kit and based on the playing here that was a good decision.
Overall this demo is a very superb first effort. With this release Fabricant has most certainly set the bar high by leaving a lasting impression on the listener. This is not just some sloppily made "hey let's make some noise!" demo, this is a well crafted demo with three high quality tracks. The sound quality is the best I've heard from a demo since Aortic Regurgitation's debut. With this debut Fabricant has managed to turn a school project into some killer death metal infested with memorable riffs. The demo clocks in at a little under fifteen minutes and has an endless amount of replay value. It's been 10 years since this dropped and sadly there is still no full length. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one eventually. 15 minutes of this left me salivating for more.
