From Ecuador we have this 3 song mini CD. It is hard to tell if this is a demo, for it is not a cheap CD-R, but rather a well presented pro CD in a slipcase with a separate lyrics / CD sleeve (a nice touch which reminded me more of how vinyl was used to be done). Their style is defined in their bio as symphonic Doom Black Metal, which is not far away from reality. My main and basic complain is the guitar sound, which is almost non-existent. This is Metal, guitars are supposed to be one of the main ingredients, and when you put them way too low in the background in the mix, it takes away a lot of power. And that is the case here. Really a shame, as everything else was done with a decent level, probably with more keyboards than they really needed. And I say that it is a shame, as on the few parts where the guitar could be sorted out, there are some good riffs, and good solos, that give the music a more traditional Heavy Metal touch. The vocals are quite average for a Black Metal singer, although here and there some more death-growls are used. Main references will be Dimmu Borgir (circa the original “Stormblast”) and the Doom aspects can be related to My Dying Bride. The origin of the band goes around 1997, so they are no newcomers. Given the fact that nowadays (instead of the old days when you can only expect rehearsal-quality sounds from bands outside of first world countries) anyone with a computer and some decent software can create a good recording, I cannot really understand why they decided to go on with such a poor guitar sound. If they are wise enough to solve this problem (Metal is loud guitars) and they drop a bit of keyboards, these guys will have a future. You can reach them at therealmofthegrief@gmail.com or at www.myspace.com/thegriefec.