I reviewed this demo on the other blog I write for, Fucked By Noise, but it’s so good that Sean asked me to throw it up here as well. I can’t post download links here, which I do on FBN (wink, wink), but I can still talk about how awesome this thing is and post a youtube stream of it.
A few months back, a friend asked me if I’d heard the new band featuring members of Cult Ritual and Salvation. I had not; however I can definitely say my attention was grabbed. So, he sent me Latishia’s Skull Drawing; I was fucking floored. This demo is better (and certainly more visceral) than everything else these guys have put out since the demises of their aforementioned bands. I’m actually really surprised nobody has been talking about this. Considering the people involved, I would’ve expected this to be everywhere within days of its release. Sadly, that’s not what happened. And I’m here to change that.
Latishia’s Skull Drawing has a lot going on. I don’t want to compare the material here to the output of the members’ previous bands, but some of the sounds they played around with in those bands are definitely here. The darkness and bleakness of Salvation is mixed with the chaotic, no-fucks-given, dirty feel of Cult Ritual – but that’s not all. There is something much more sinister at work here. The riffs are dirty and dirging even when played at a fast tempo, and the tempos shift unpredictably, which make this thing feel like a total mess in the best way possible. Oh, and there’s still plenty of the atonal Black Flag and Void-style shredding that we all love. This demo is one of my favorite things I’ve heard this year, and I’m so happy I can not only finally listen to it in its entirety (thanks to another friend who ripped this and sent it to me, seriously you’re a life saver), but I can also share it with you.
Latishia’s Skull Drawing should be releasing an LP on Iron Lung Records in the near future, and I can’t wait for that thing to drop. Just another release to chalk up there with the incredible shit that label has put out– and has scheduled to put out. But I’m done rambling. Have at it.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what happened to the Defining Deathrock series, I’m currently working on Part 2. Stay tuned.
