Chemical Cascades is a so-called psychedelic black metal band from Brisbane, Australia. They formed back in 2010 and have so far released two demos, this one being their latest. This is the first time I've listened to them so I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.
After a short intro filled with droning monk chants, we get to the bulk of the demo, and the first thing that caught my ear was the fantastic drumming put on by a guy named Mike. The snare is really powerful, which means that during the blast beats, it sounds like they're repeatedly striking you in the head with a brick. It reminds me of Panopticon, and like Panopticon, they make sure to include plenty of intricate fills. They even play a few tribal rhythms, such as those on “Cosmic Winter”.
The vocals are haunting. They consist of this ghostly howl that is cloaked in reverb and sounds almost exactly like Xasthur. The gloomy disposition of the vocals stands as a stark contrast to the rather fast-paced music. The guitars are just as amazing as the drums. They play a lot of rapid, whirling tremolo riffs that have sort of a progressive feel to them. They sort of sound similar to the riffs all those Cascadian bands like to play. They'll even play a few wicked solos on occasion, such as that old school-sounding one on “Cosmic Winter”. My only problem is that the drums overpower the guitars. Then again, Panopticon had this exact same problem, so I'm willing to let that slide.
This demo may not be all that trippy or psychedelic, but these guys sure put on a great performance, especially the drums. If you're a fan of well-played black metal that has excellent atmosphere, then you might get a kick out of these guys.
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