Cognitive is a four piece band from New Jersey. They formed in 2011 and have already released this three track demo and have plans of recording a five song EP in the near future. They play what can best be described as technical death metal, but there are clearly strong influences from other styles coming through. This demo clocks in at just over eight minutes, but Cognitive manages to cram plenty of quality material in this short amount of time. They realize that first impression is a big deal and they pull absolutely no punches within the short runtime of this release.
The guitar playing is insanely tight from start to finish. Many slamming grooves are scattered throughout the three tracks but things are always kept interesting and you never find yourself feeling even a hint of boredom. The solos featured on the demo are amazing and they always fit the song perfectly. "The Horrid Storm" has one of the most effective solos I've heard in quite some time. The tracks builds up slowly, reaches its climax and then fades out with a solo that can only be described as flawless. The track "Falling Skies" has some very tasty bass playing which is another aspect of Cognitive that puts them above and beyond. The bass is audible for a good portion of the release and there is a constant flow of awesome bass playing, whether it be during the punchy section in "Separation Anxiety" or during the solo moments on "Falling Skies".
All three of the songs differ from each other in many ways. At times things are just straight up brutal and groovy as hell and then all of the sudden they will break into a proggy section. Each track has one thing in common though, they are all well crafted and executed with deadly precision. On occasion you expect a song to go a certain way and they throw a curveball and it goes into a completely different direction, but somehow they manage to keep everything cohesive and they never go far enough into left field to make you lose interest. Ramirez's brutish vocals push the intensity to the max and he delivers every single line with the utmost power. Castro's drumming also adds a great deal to the overall sound. He is able to pummel the kit when necessary (see "Separation Anxiety") but he can also hold back when it is needed (see "The Horrid Storm").
Overall Cognitive have created an excellent demo. It may only be three tracks but it is definitely enough for me to put them on my "bands to watch" list. The potential shown here is fairly promising. They already have a pretty distinguishable sound which is very rare for a band just starting out. Fans of any variation of death metal should check this out, it is up for free on the bands facebook page and is definitely worth a listen.
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