_Garrote_ is an unclear, vague release from Scordatura, and it's very possible that's a direct result of mediocre production. The band seems to involve itself in three genres, which at times seem quite forced. The death metal element is the epitome of the release; these boys can write some decent death metal tunes, which seem to truly flow. The technical death interludes, as disjointed as they may be, are a treat for the ears: they are quite well composed, but they're few and far between. Then there's the deathcore element within the music, which plays a pretty large role for Scordatura, it would seem. Playing a quite cliché representation of such a bland, tasteless genre probably isn't the best of ideas, and paired with their approach to the genre really doesn't make for desirable music. "Bones of Hades" highlights the abrupt stop-start approach the band encases themselves in. It alternates between death metal and deathcore which seems so disjointed and weak. The band really needs to pick a genre, they can't make fans of both death metal and deathcore happy, and the disjointed approach isn't doing them any favors at all.

One problem, which subsequently comes from the highlighted mediocre production, is that at times the instruments seem to be all over the place, almost as if with each interlude comes new production. Either the drums are too far out, the guitar is too far under, or the bass is inaudible. The other problem I have lies within the vocals. The vocalist, Daryl, showcases some great vocals, particularly the impressive growls, though as I highlighted throughout the review, the whole deathcore / death metal fiasco is a problem, and it's in the vocals too. The shrieks and higher-pitched vocals are quite irritating; it's as if the band goes into a full-force deathcore attack for a while.

With a two track demo, it's more-or-less required you've developed your sound. With two tracks you're to showcase your overall sound without any bullshit. It seems to me that Scordatura are still trapped in the decision making process of "what should we play?" and while they may be respected in their local scene, I believe someone has to tell them where they're going wrong. They simply need to choose a genre and develop it from there.