[ Previous | Index | Next ]

Dahmer

Demo 1 '96

Review by Neil St.Laurent

Cassette provided by the band

I hesitate to call Dahmer grindcore, but they are basically that. Maybe I should be able to classify them as the early days of grindcore, possibly when it sounded more like punk. Again however we could say they are noisecore. Okay, if we strung 7 or 8 songs together and put some transitions in we may call it death. I guess I could be trying to say that Dahmer has a fresh sound in an area where I'm usually the first to criticize for lack there of. The music on this demo is deep, quite deep. The guitar riffs rage on while the drums try to play this complex pattern that oftens becomes the interest of the music more than any other instrument. Although it really isn't that difficult to overplay those guitars that pump out tried-and-true heavy and intense riffs, very repetitiously I might add as well. To finish off the spectrum of driving noise are the monster vocals. That's right, hollywood should be looking for vocalist Seb to do creature sound effects; they are very low, extremely garbled, and sound like a pack of "creatures" in a feeding frenzy.

Hey, let's face it though, people like this music. Sure, why shouldn't they. It's intense, fast, heavy, and insane. The short songs provide quick relief from moshing insanity. Dahmer isn't looking for mainstream success, they are very true to their art. Their music ferociously attacks you until you feel like fighting back, assaulting others, and destroying things. Yet, with all this, Dahmer still remains listenable and enjoyable when not in the company of others. Not for the meek, but a good offering to those that like the extreme.