Exthenia have just released a demo that includes three songs that have been rerecorded with their new singer Janne. We took the time to review it, and also caught up with lead guitarist Mikael to find out more about it. Read it all below…
What can you tell me about the demo?
Well the first thing what comes to my mind is that it is definitely our best release so far. I think we had a more professional touch on this record and it can be heard on it.
What made you decide to rerecord those songs in particular?
Those songs were pretty easy to choose. The opening track Death Within was the first song we rehearsed with our new vocalist Janne and it worked really well with the new vocals so it was easy to choose as the opening track. We chose Defeat as the second track because it’s heavy and a good live song, we also modified it a bit with some blast beats! The third track Left Undone was easy too because it works very well without keyboards, which we don’t have anymore. Long story short; we really enjoy playing these three songs and they worked best on the demo.
Can you describe your writing and recording process for the songs?
Well we didn’t have to write anything actually because these songs are from our earlier releases. We changed only a few drum/guitar parts. The recording process was fast and really fun, it was the first time we recorded everything at the studio! We also have ExtheniaTV part 4 coming up soon which contains material from the studio.
Would you say this is a good representation for your upcoming material?
Yes, but our upcoming material will be even more versatile. We have a great line up to do many cool things now!
And what’s in the works for the rest of 2015?
Well we will manage to do as much gigs as possible and we will write songs for our upcoming album.
Demo 2015 Review
Exthenia first appeared on our radar last year, with their excellent single Future Is A Dead End and they’ve somehow managed to upped the ante with their new demo. Featuring three rerecorded songs from past releases, all three tracks have even more of a kick to them, and everything sounds a lot more professional and high-quality.
Death Within is this massively meaty number that has a foot-tappingly awesome drum line and an extremely strong vocal performance that really helps to get everything moving before Exthenia powers into the magnificent Defeat, which absolutely sounds like a track tailor-made for a live environment. The drum beats sound tailor-made to pump your fist in the air and bang your head along to to, and the track also features a jaw-droppingly awesome guitar lines – this is a song that deserves to be played on a huge stage.
The demo closes with Left Undone and it’s a triumphant end to a triumphant offering from the outfit, finishing things on a high whilst similtaneously leaving you wanting more than the three tracks that Exthenia has given you. One thing is for sure – if this demo is anything to go by, then the upcoming album will blow us all away.
9/10
