Review by Felix on August 9, 2021.

Shrill sirens accompany the first guitar tones of The Dawn Of Ares. They ensure that I am wide awake right from the beginning. And that’s good, because the opener is interesting. It holds some typical elements, for example sawing guitars and pretty aggressive vocals. On the other hand, the Italians feel free to show their individuality. It’s not that stereotyped high-velocity opener that many other thrashers prefer. Instead, I am listening to a quite casual song that spreads rather unusual vibes. A courageous beginning, no doubt about it.

Speaking of courage, I must mention the excessive title track. It illustrates that Xenos do not intend to go back in time. Their form of thrash sounds rather modern than retro. I hear my inner voice: you don’t like modern thrash. That’s correct, but the fairly bulky and sometimes machine gun-like staccato celebrating riffs of Xenos are simply effective. Even an initially slightly disturbing break does not have a negative impact on this song which neither falls victim to incoherent structure nor to repetitiveness.

Sometimes I miss a higher portion of ferocity. This element is almost completely missing. Or am I wrong? Maybe songs like 'Still To The Front' have a subliminal cruelty. The song, equipped with an insistent chorus, is slowly marching forward like a wounded soldier on the way to his final battle. The dry, clear and well-balanced sound underlines the sharp-edged approach of the Italians who do not set the focus on the velocity. They prefer to demonstrate their musical skills and do not shy away from both harsh and relatively soft melodic fragments. Sometimes their way of riffing reminds me of Necrodeath, but maybe this legend just comes to my mind in view of the origin of Xenos. However, even if one finds trace elements of the legendary quartet in Xenos’ sound, one thing is for sure: the individual approach that already shapes the opener characterizes the entire album.

Ares is the god of war in Greek mythology and perhaps the album is not aptly titled, because Xenos do not provide a bloody thrash metal massacre. Yet they offer many good, mid-harsh thrashers and only a few parts, for example the beginning of 'Shields', fall by the wayside. However, the positive aspects of the album clearly have the upper hand. Certainly, just like all of their competitors, Xenos will not revolutionize the genre. But they have found a previously empty niche for their kind of thrash and that’s remarkable. In combination with very solid songwriting skills, the album guarantees those thrash fans a good time who do not think that everything was said and done after the end of the genre’s first wave.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Fernando on December 21, 2021.

Reviewing demos is always a gamble in almost any genre of music and especially in metal, since for all the bands with great potential, you also come across amateurs who’re in desperate need of a good producer, or the run of the mill worship band. But to be fair, some bands do have some hoops to overcome before they release a proper album, and a demo may be the only chance they get to unleash their music to the world, and today we have a particular black metal act out of Austria by the name of Gha’agsheblah.

Gha’agsheblah are for all intents and purposes and brand new band, formed in 2019 and this demo, titled Demo(N) (get it), is an interesting beast. I’m not gonna talk about the production since that’s a low hanging fruit aspect for a demo, but, one thing I will say is that the extremely raw and lofi production actually gives off a sinister and disturbing vibe to the music itself, which is something hard to achieve since most demos nowadays sound too digital or are downright unlistenable. Gha’agsheblah made good use of this limitation to their benefit. In regards to the music itself, Gha’agsheblah play black metal but there’s something off about it, in a good way. Their style seems to take cues from first wave black metal in the vein of Mortuary Drape and early Bathory. There’s a focus on riffs and vocals that sound evil and wretched, which is bolstered by an intentionally disturbing atmosphere, and what’s weird is how the band accomplished this with no actual embellishments. The atmosphere is the major standout, and it all comes together weirdly but very effectively, which makes me wonder how this band would sound with professional production, since this type of ugly and harsh sound could’ve only be achieved through intentionally crude conditions and equipment.

Overall, Gha’agsheblah really surprised me with their unhinged and necrotic music, but at the same time, due to this release being a demo there’s just so much that can be said. The band are supposedly making their debut record and if anything, this demo succeeded in making me interested in what this band can be furthered down the line. A neat little demo, and a cornerstone for this band.

Rating: 7 out of 10