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Just arrived from the American Northeast (University of Massachusetts at Boston) is a 5-song demo from, apparently, 3-piece death metal band One Master. One Master play a mid paced version of American death metal with a rather well produced demo that has a stripped down dirty sound that is appealing. The band also incorporates just a touch of black metal, mainly through song titles, lyrics, and overall feel. The band’s sound portrays a powerful rawness that especially shines through on the first track, Journey To The Northern Lands. One Master’s vocal delivery is a raspy, low-pitched distorted growl that fits the band’s guitar sound perfectly.
Throughout the demo, One Master is at its best when the band’s crunchy mid-paced riffing is prominent. The band also sprinkles a few blast beats into the mix that are effective when they are short. Unfortunately, the band periodically digresses from these strong points to some rather weak guitar soloing that is distracting and detracts from the band’s power. The second song, Immortal Frost, is a case in point. There's room for improvement here.
The band also manages to effectively incorporate some moody, almost ambient, acoustical passages during some of the songs. These passages are good, and they fit the band’s sound.
Lyrically, the band’s inspiration seems to come from late 19th and early 20th century philosophy, principally Nietzsche, and describes personal power and its achievement. This is a common theme, of course, in black metal in particular, and that is another reason why I would cite black metal as an influence for One Master. However, if it’s stripped down, raw, mid paced death metal that is appealing to you, keep a lookout for (hopefully) One Master’s debut full length. How about a website update guys?
| Tracklist |
| 1. Journey To The Northern Lands |
| 2. Immortal Frost |
| 3. Shadow Of The Firehorse |
| 4. Son Of The Morning Star |
| 5. Frozen Realms Of Unlight |
: 26.42
| Buy other One Master albums |
