When someone advised me to pick up Canaan’s demo at a hardcore show a while back I don’t think I expected it to be quite so outstanding! I stuck it on full volume & let the feedback introduction to the song ‘Gehenna Made Flesh’ slowly build it’s way up, the rattling drum toms building up the suspense until the frankly terrifying screams of vocalist Nathan pierces the air. What followed was a fearsome 3 tracks of Arkangel riffery & full-on Earth Crisis-style straightedge metallic hardcore and left me with goosebumps waiting for someone to sign ‘em & release some more of this for my sadistic pleasure.

Well, they have and this MCD includes the aforementioned demo tracks with 3 unreleased efforts. Although being a tad short, ‘Gehenna…’ just doesn’t let up with tracks like ‘Eighth Day Descent’ & ‘Hollow Sky’ acting as the soundtrack to many a windmilling & circle-pit to come! Nathan’s paint-stripping vocals are similarly awesome and accompany the music perfectly here. His vocals throughout the whole album, particular this track, are spat out with so much venom, ostensibly ripping apart my face with rage-fuelled hysteria.

Although this is pure straightedge metalcore, fans of Stampin’ Ground’s colossal beatdowns can do no harm in checking these guys out. Also for those partial to a bit of Arkangel, 12th Angel Calling, 30 Seconds Til Armageddon.