The Italian label Everlasting Spew Records just released this demo on CD. The band also has it available as a digital download. And if you ask me, METAPHOBIC’s “Demo 2021” is one of the best I’ve heard lately. It’s far away from the “usual” Death Metal that has become so common in the last decade. Here you won’t find any reverb drenched vocals, no lo-fi trebly guitars or weak sounding drums. No sire. METAPHOBIC, hailing from Atlanta (Georgia, USA) have crafted 3 songs of pure, unadulterated Death Metal that hits the listener in all the right places. First off, Danny’s vocals are right on point. His gurgling, low tone has a lot of attack and is perfectly understandable. He also manages to include some tone shifts to accentuate different parts. Dan’s bass is the perfect bridge between the drums and the guitars. His “thrashy”, dense tone pops out from the mix, yet it remains incredibly tight. Nathan’s drum work is essential and to a certain point, logical (drummers know what I am talking about). He knows exactly what each song needs. Especially when it comes down to dead on drum fills and a razor sharp use of cymbals. He is constantly altering his double bass drum patterns a bit which makes everything more interesting. Last but not least, Shawn and Peter’s riffs are catchy as hell. The dynamics between the guitars are amazing in both aspects: the steady and heavy rhythm and the melodic / harmonic trade offs. Everytime you listen to a song, you find nuances in every instrument with the right amount of variation and atmosphere to drown the listener into the aural experience that METAPHOBIC has masterfully crafted. The overall production is natural, organic and dense. I really liked the balance between the instruments and the vocals because both shine when they have to and they are not battling each other. It reeks of the early 90s sound (i.e. INCANTATION, IMMOLATION, early GORGUTS and the likes) but they are definitely no copy-cats. These 3 songs showcase a band that already has a cohesive style of their own. After countless spins, I can tell that if METAPHOBIC keeps writing such amazing material, they have the potential to become an instant classic. Sincerely, I can’t recall when was the last time that a band got me so anxious about new material, so go get this demo now! It is all worth it. Support the band at www.facebook.com/metaphobic.atl and contact their label here: www.facebook.com/everlastingspew