Host and ParasiteThese guys are a four piece out of Albany, NY which is one of the most well rounded scenes you could found yet also neglected to a certain extent, which is beyond baffling. A nice little nugget: The band features two Jo(h)n's and two Josh's. Jon Ricco is also the same name as the new vocalist for Invade, what a coincidence.
The artwork really threw me for a loop because it is not indicative of how you would expect these guys to sound. I mean shit it's a white background with a two kids sitting next to a peach tree with the band logo written to look as if a child scribbled it. As soon as I saw the packaging, I thought to myself, "Oh, another damn emo/screamo demo, wonderful". Although, the heavy cardstock used was quality. Luckily, curiosity got the best of me and I popped it in anyway, and found 4 blazing tracks of thrash influenced dissonant hardcore with manic vocals that absolutely kicked my ass. The tracks are short and sweet, with all four tracks clocking out around 1:30, which leaves little time to get bored. The band keeps it high octane but throw in a slick breakdown or well placed lead (like the one in Curse For The Sandman, sounds like a straight rock and roll ditty).
The production was pretty fucking awesome for a demo. I was feeling the bass tone immensely, nice and thick to hold down to rhythm section with the drums, which also sounded good. The vocals were awesome too, no effects and perfectly placed. The guitar tone is extremely abrasive but in a good way of course.
Rating: 3.5/5
Sections Worthy of Replay: Curse For The Sandman and True to Life Berzeker
Thesis: I could've used for different artwork but the music and awesome off the wall lyrics made up for tenfold. Amazingly, these guys are giving away copies of this demo for free. Always nice to see people just trying to get their music heard. Check them out @ http://www.myspace.com/hostandparasite