CoC : Bloody Slave - End of Prophecy : Review

Bloody Slave - _End of Prophecy_
by: Quentin Kalis (2 out of 5)

Unless the band is Summoning and the album is _Dol Guldur_, 'tis never good when the intro is superior to the rest of the album. The demo starts with some piano tinkling, before being replaced by a repetitive riff, culminating in a rather effective solo and ending with some spoken words. One might say that the progression is predictable, but it is more listenable and at least it builds up to a climax. However, it does not seem to gel with the remainder of the album, which is less sombre and majestic than the intro may lead one to believe, as it revels in somewhat pedestrian heavy metal. And unless Vigrid has been transported to Middle Earth, the apocalyptic theme doesn't really suit their melodic style.

The listener is left with a strong sense that these youngsters (average age of nineteen) do not really know what they truly want to play and are still finding their sound, both as individual musicians and as a unit. This is not a fatal flaw, and it is expected to a certain degree, but is more apparent in _End of Prophecy_ than on many other demos. _EoP_ may be a necessary step in the evolution of their career, but this does not make it a particularly good demo. If they want to ever land that elusive record deal, the follow-up will need to be a lot more focused.

Contact: http://www.bloody-slave.com

(article published 24/7/2007)