CoC : Funeral God - Demo 1 : Review

Funeral God - _Demo 1_
by: Ryan Kriste (4 out of 5)

I suppose my obvious biases towards this release make me unfit to review it, but I love it so much I feel compelled to. Pretoria's own Funeral God bring forth their first brutal offering to the tables of metal. And what a feast it is. Nothing original here, but the classics are usually the most appetizing. Track one, "Blessed by the Devil", showcases a strong German speed influence ala "old" Kreator, as evidenced by the picking style, although at a slightly less frantic pace. Track two, "Insomnia", is a slow death number with one of the most instantly infectious grooves I've ever heard -- screw the nineties' bands. Track three, "Abomination", with its thrash riffs and acoustic parts (played on electric), belies softer influences as well. If you want to wear your influences (death, black, speed and thrash -metal-) on your sleeve, do it as well as Funeral God.

(article published 1/9/1998)