DRAIN- Nation At War Demo

DRAIN is a two piece metallic crust band from Maine. When thinking of Maine metal may not be the first thing that comes to mind but this duo churns out plenty of raw and grating tunes. Essentially the demo plays like a big, menacing melting pot of metal and punk subgenres. If anything here sounds even remotely appealing you will most likely be enjoying yourself for the next thirteen minutes.

The production on this release is very low quality in the same sense as something like, say, Darkthrone's "Transylvanian Hunger". It gives a very filthy vibe and adds a great deal of atmosphere to the overall sound. The playing is very simple but somehow still manages to forcefully grab hold of the listeners attention. If the demo did have an extremely polished sound it might not be as effective as it is. The lofi quality really gives it that extra push that it needs to stay interesting.

Tracks like "Created Equal" have a very standard main riff but it really captures that "epic" feel in such a way that is hard to describe. Hard to describe is something that may be frequently associated with Nation At War because at first glance it may seem fairly cookie cutter but upon further listening the melodies begin to sink in and it all comes together in a big way. Another strange thing about the demo is that even with the all of the rawness and the overwhelming distortion it comes out with an upbeat sound for the most part.

The vocals used here are typical for the style but they get the job done. The quality of them came out suprisingly well considering the fact that they were recorded on a phone. With that being said don't let the recording quality of this material detour you from giving this a chance. The only complaint that could really be given against the release is that just when the music begins to sink in it ends very abruptly. Obviously a first release isn't going to be an hour long epic piece, but hearing DRAIN play for a little over a half hour would be ideal.

Overall for a first effort DRAIN shows a ton of potential. This project is definitely one that metalheads and punks alike should keep an eye on. The gut is telling me that with a little polishing in a few departments these guys could come up with something amazing. Check this one out.

Link (Band Sanctioned): NATION AT WAR