Labyrintheory - In Memoriam Demo # 1

Labyrintheory is a Death/Funeral Doom project/band put together by Matthew P Davis(lyrics,vocals,keys,guitars,drum sounds) and this is a Demo recorded over 4 weeks in March and April.Along with Davis they have Bass Player Ron Miles and Violinist Aurora Grabill and the finished Demo is extremely well produced,well played and of a very high standard.I hear a lot of project bands/one or two man bands but this stands out as being extremely good reeking of some serious potential for the future.The opening intro piece has a real symphonic atmosphere creating a somber mood but maintains a degree of evil and malevolence,it sets the pace for the rest of the demo.Tracks "Broken" and in particular "Jehovah's Witless" are real powerful doses of Funeral Doom,slow and heavy but with a clean cutting guitar sound.The solo work is exceptionally full of class and feeling.The vocal sound in "Jehovah's Witless" is black but the lyrics put across a powerful message about the Hypocrisy that can be found in Religious circles.I don't know if Davis is writing about some personal experience but it is done with a huge amount of passion so it sounds like it.The track "Mythical" is a tasty slab of Funeral Doom but like other tracks on the Demo its done with lots of atmosphere and passion although i thought a little short.I found myself wanting the tracks to extend out a little longer.Track five is called "Of Blades And Burgundy",another great Funeral Doom track but the lyrics are particularly moving.The vocal work is a real highlight of the demo,there is millions of these type of vocals in this genre of music but its not very often you hear it delivered with such passionate delivery.Its not all growls either,he has a great melodic side which he uses to full effect on many of the songs.The use of keys is also very effective as they remain unobtrusive but provide a haunting backdrop to the songs.Track five especially uses the keys incredibly well. They are working on getting out a full length album for a Fall/Winter release,i will be looking for that because this is a great Demo displaying not only potential but real musicianship and a natural skill at songwriting.Pretty cool...9/10

www.myspace.com/labyrintheory