Review by Greg on October 25, 2026.

Demoniac might just be the shining star in the incredible landscape of the Chilean thrash scene over the past decade, where every new band seems faster, meaner, and angrier than the norm, while apparently being incapable of doing anything wrong. Their So It Goes introduced the general public to their genre-bending vision of thrash, which was then welcomed with due enthusiasm on the follow-up, Nube negra. So much so that I was almost surprised to discover that they had released another album before all that, one that hardly anybody seems to talk about. Intemperance, released in 2017, was the first step for these mad lads, and you know what they say about truly great bands: everything they put out is worth a listen. Does that apply here, too?

Well, I’m not particularly good at building suspense, but neither were Demoniac at this stage of their career. The caveat is that you obviously won’t find all the tropes and quirky touches they would adopt in later years, bringing a breath of fresh air to the oversaturated blackened thrash scene. So no, they weren’t singing in Spanish yet, nor were they composing 20-minute suites featuring clarinets and accordions. That doesn’t mean, however, that anything here is bland or half-assed. The guys are entirely focused on drilling riffs, and more riffs, into your brain for 40 minutes straight. If that doesn’t sound like a recipe for a good old headbanging session, I don’t know what does.

Indeed, Intemperance seems cut from the same cloth as fellow Chilean thrashers Critical Defiance. That’s perhaps unsurprising, given that the two bands have shared several members over the years. Essentially, the entire lineup on this album overlaps with Critical Defiance, apart from mastermind Javier Ortiz. Demoniac’s approach, built around lengthy compositions packed with riffing insanity, brings to mind both Critical Defiance’s masterpiece The Search Won’t Fall and their debut, Misconception. Intemperance shares one of their main flaws, too: the feeling that the band is reaching just beyond its capabilities, with ambitions that occasionally get a little out of hand.

It’s not a major problem, all things considered. This is still top-tier brutal thrash metal that refuses to let up, propelled by the unstoppable energy of one of my current favorite drummers, Rodrigo Poblete. I knew one of the songs was instrumental, but there’s so much guitar goodness in the introductions that I had trouble figuring out which one it was. Once I identified the brilliantly titled “Cheating Destiny,” I was treated to a wonderful second half that rounds off a devastating opening trio. “The Unacceptable Truth” and the title track perfectly showcase Intemperance’s modus operandi. The latter is particularly notable for its melodic introduction, which includes one of the many bass solos scattered throughout the album and brings to mind fellow Chileans Ripper.

Highlighting these tracks might give you the impression that I can easily distinguish the strongest songs from the weakest, but that’s not something I can do with a tracklist this consistent. Still, I clearly remember the surprising acoustic interlude in “Dimorphic Feelings,” the neck-breaking accelerations of “When Witchcraft and Cult Rises” and “Forging Our Sorrows,” and the... utter uselessness of the one-minute interlude “Timeless Mind.” Apart from that last misstep, these moments already show that Demoniac were a cut above the rest, even at this early stage.

Ortiz’s snarling vocals deserve to be mentioned alongside those of any other hateful, brutal Chilean frontman who comes to mind. I swear this magical country seems incapable of producing a bad thrash vocalist. The solos occasionally get a little too erratic, clashing with the band’s otherwise refined sense of melody, but they also fit the savage approach employed throughout the album.

Overall, I’m glad to discover that Intemperance isn’t merely a forgotten debut from one of the most underrated bands in contemporary metal, a record they used to cut their teeth before moving on to greener pastures. It’s a killer album in its own right. I’m not entirely sold on every avant-garde trick the band would employ on its later releases, although I have the utmost respect for that evolution. In that sense, this earlier, more straightforward approach is arguably more my cup of tea. Make sure Intemperance gets the love it deserves, too.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10