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Destrovert *are a metal band of four young men who have perverted the eardrums of those in Walthamstow's popular music emporium - *The Standard. Incredibly young nu-metal types SugarComa have also appeared at this venue. "_Oh no! Not another nu-metal band! _" I hear you cry. Yes, you are right. They are not just another hopeful nu-metal band. They do not see the need for learning the fine art of rapping nor do they think that screaming every single word constitutes a valid replacement for either singing or rapping. But *Destrovert *do see the need for a solid rhythm section and deep, meaningful riffs (including some high quality solos) with a singer who…sings! Oh no. You really should be shouting "Yes! A new metal band! _"
Destrovert *seem to be rather versatile. This 3-track demo has quite a mixture. The laid back opener of '_Diminished Responsibility_' is unashamedly metal - thudding bass and boisterous drums, which serve only to growl at you until you cower in the corner of your bedroom, coupled with two guitarists complementing each other like only brothers can do so early in a career. It's that rhythm section that knocks the door down straight away then the rest of them creep in leaving less and less space for you to breathe. The tunes swell and ebb leaving you nodding your head in that "_I'm-listening-to-cool-music_" way. It is good. It is clever. This is "_heavy metal fucked up beyond all recognition*_" after all.
During their anthemic 'Sloganeering Makes Good T-Shirts' playing their instruments painfully is clearly an issue with these boys as they hammer their respective instruments as hard as they can for almost a whole minute! It starts nice and fast and maybe a touch too furious as you hear, "_I hate myself and I wanna die! _" and doesn't really slow down. Was that a bit of punk I saw creeping into this record? Maybe.
Along comes track 3 and lo and behold…it doesn't sound like the other two. Three songs that sound totally different on a fledgling band's demo CD? Unheard of and slightly stupid surely! But no. 'Small Price To Pay' is a rocking tune but shows slightly different influences, of the cock rock nature this time, with a 2-minute long guitar solo shoved into the middle. This is in no way a bad thing. One item that I have nit-picked is the fact that the singer does actually shout, albeit intermittently, in this song. I thought there was no need to shout (the title, by the way). But then you don't need to eat Crunch Creams - you still do it though!
They have not pandered to the current media hype of nu-metal pap. They have still managed to write some insanely catchy tunes which may not be able to be classed as commercially viable, but are still damn fine. If SugarComa can come out of the musical hotbed of Ilford North with a record deal and shit songs then Destrovert can exit Walthamstow with a good record deal and some more good songs. There can be a brighter future.
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8Brian E. Jemimah's Score
