Silver Devil Demo 2009

Silver Devil is a great stoner/ desert rock band from Gävle/Söderhamn, in Sweden. The current line-up is Anders Lövstrand - vocals, Clas Andersson and Otto Molin on guitars, Erik Bergkvist- bass and Marcus Ström - drums. This is their second demo in a year or so and if the first demo tweaked your appetite then this new demo will do so even more. The first demo was great, no question about it but the new one sees the band sounding even more focused and precise. It is short and sweet but the three tracks all kick like the proverbial mule starting off with "Cactus Kicker" which has a good stomping stoner groove and their spaced out vocal sound. The thick warm fuzzy guitar sound sounds even more developed on this demo and also seems a little better produced. I mentioned in my last review for them that are coming from the Fu Manchu/Truckfighters school of stoner but the thing that sets them apart is the spacy vocal sound. They sound distant from the rest of the band which creates a other worldly effect. The second track "Control" is maybe the best example of this, along with the fuzzed out distorted riff that never stops its groovy swagger. The band play some intricate riffs for a stoner band but they are not short of some strong melodies either. Catchy yet powerful with a swirling psyched out sound that surrounds you, you must have this on CD however to fully appreciate the wall of sound they have. Unless you have giant speakers on your computer, you wont get the full effect listening to tracks straight off their Myspace page, it just doesn't do the songs justice. The third and final track "Lies" is a equally a sonic trip as the other two tracks, more great riffing, spaced out guitar sounds but without resorting to endless guitar effects. This is demo is similar to the first demo but this one seems to be slightly more original and it seems the band is really discovering their own sound. As a demo its a bit short, its all over in around 10 minutes but its a fun 10 minutes that shows a band that is ready to show the world that you don't have to live in the desert to play this music with real passion, skill and finesse. If there is ever a band that needs a full length album out in the stoner rock genre, it is this one. 10/10

www.myspace.com/silverdevilsweden