Chordotomy - The Precious Ideal promo 2012

Chordotomy are definitely a new name to me, and I promised to give this promo a review for Hannes, in honor of him being our 400th like on Facebook. Thanks again, man!

"Human Derangement" begins with a somewhat goregrind-y riff/drum combo before the first riff gets a bit melodic on us and a very groovy switch-up occurs, leading straight into a thugging slam with the normal kind of vocals. Gurgly and low but not outstanding, though the slams are certainly meaty enough that they don't need incredible vocals to help them along. The guitar tone is a bit weird and distinct; hollow and clear with good mixing. Slightly melodic riffs/sections peek out and work surprisingly well. I like how the slams in this song are generic and normal but don't outstay their welcome, nor do they offend the ears. Just pleasing stuff with a touch of originality and even a bit of professionalism in songwriting style. Drums seem programmed because there seem to be several patterns being repeated seamlessly, but perhaps it is an electric kit or heavily triggered. Regardless, doesn't truly matter as the rhythm section is underpinned by a good, hard snare sound and strong use of crashes to highlight simplistic breakdowns, making them more effective than they would with different production.

"Systematic Extermination"'s first rhythm is just killer; a lurching, swaying beast of a beat that shows once again how simplicity and efficiency can go a long way to making something special even if the individual parts may seem stale or overdone. This song seems much more slam-focused; less melody and more really dumb, heavy riffs that really bludgeon you. The snare(?) during the interesting charging part at 1:39 is kind of wrong sounding and that part could honestly do with some meshing into the whole as well, as the slam it leads into is strong but isn't really arrived at in any logical fashion. Though that isn't bad, per se, this demo seems to be very much about calculated, cold slam and for something so by-the-numbers it's weird to have a shoehorned-in section that doesn't make much sense. This seems like nitpicking, but I feel that I have slightly greater domain over criticism when it comes to demos/promos because of how inherently potential they are, unlike a full-album release which has already garnered a higher level of support. I was preparing for a serious 9-note slam at the 2:22 mark, but I was pleasantly surprised that they threw a slight curve ball with the ride-accentuated ending cadence.

Interesting, but not mindblowing. That's what I'll file this under overall. I hear a lot of potential here, especially in the first song which goes to greater lengths to deviate from the norm than "Systematic Extermination", a song which, despite its slightly longer length, seems almost singularly devoted to churning out grooves (other than the extended "riffy" section later in the song; good stuff, dudes!). In promo terms, this is indicative of possible greatness in the future, but for now I congratulate Chordotomy for making me bang my head. You've done what plenty of demos I've heard in my time have failed to do. Stay at it and we'll definitely have a band to keep watch for.

Also, way better cover art than almost any recent demo I can recall. Though I'm a sucker for flat gradient logos with linear fades and good color matching.