Review Summary: Why is this so difficult?
Why is it so difficult to stay objective about a record you don’t really like.
Objectively there is nothing wrong with the new Demon King record. They are a blackened tech death band and this is there first long form outing after the 2 EP’s they have released.
Death Knell delivers on every front. Good songs, good production and great musicians. 46 minutes of blackened tech death with sprinkles of trash, symphonic and prog metal. None of the songs are under 5 minutes, but they mix it up enough to keep the songs interesting. Lots of blast beats and tremolo picking countered with slower tempos, good melodies and some nice solos. It’s a really good record. Quality wise I would put this on the same list as bands like Imperialist, Veilburner or VoidCeremony.
Why don’t I like it then? Well….
Subjectively this feels like the bastard child of Cradle of filth and The Black Dahlia Murder who always gets picked last in gym class. There is nothing wrong with that kid, you even go out with his parents sometimes, you just don’t like him. There are spoken word passages in almost every song and even though they don’t feel misplaced, there is something missing to them. The aforementioned Cradle of Filth or Bal-Sagoth (remember them) just do it better. And even though I was head banging and doing Frank Mullen hand movements during almost every song, none of them really stuck. It all feels a bit generic, really good generic, but it just doesn’t feel memorable enough to me.
But don’t let that deter you from checking this out. You will be missing out on a good record if you don’t listen to this. If you like Cradle of Filth, Revocation, GoatWhore or The Black Dahlia Murder you should at least hear this once. It will just not be for everyone.
