Review Summary: the audio equivalent of getting curb-stomped
Four tracks and less than ten minutes long, listening to Escalator's sole demo is comparable to getting into a bar fight in a pub filled with Hell's Angels; sloppy, filthy and violent, Escalator will *** up your day in ways you wouldn't believe. Backed by a fittingly awful production, Escalator passionately rips through four slices of excellent death metal inspired hardcore in a visceral fashion that is not only crushing but catchy. No matter what you may like in your hardcore, there's a very good chance Escalator has somehow incorporated into their music; "Roominating" not ensures that you'll get your dose of blistering power chords and frantic d-beat drumming but where it truly shines is the down beat breakdown towards the end of the song, that will no doubt throw anyone into a thrashing mad frenzy. "St. Scholastica, 1355", while through its majority is mainly just a punchy hardcore track with hoarse, yet emotive death metal gutturals ends up throwing a total curve ball, adding in moments of quick-finger guitar heroics. Taking its place as the longest track (wow, a whole two and half minutes long!) "Young 'til I'm Not", slows down the pace of the demo, instead relying on steady pounding rhythms and layers of dissonant guitar work that with the tinny production of the album actually make for surprising but welcome atmospheric playing. Closing the album is "Compulsory Castration" where the band once again incorporates metal's technical gift with hardcore's in-your face assault, revealing harmonized guitar patterns and thrash's palm muted delivery.
With virtually no information available anywhere on the web, it will be anyone's guess when the next Escalator material will appear, but with their demo creating such an enthralling, conscious-consuming listen, it would be this reviewers guess that this group's near perfect combination of hardcore and metal will have legions of newly turned fans scouring the webs for any new material on a daily basis.
