UMUR
"Replacing Hinges Or..." is the debut demo tape by Danish avant garde rock/ metal act Düreforsög (translates into Animal testing). The demo was recorded on the 29th of November 1994 on a 4-track tape machine in the band´s rehearsal room in the youth club called Huset on Skt. Knuds vej 7, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. The five songs on the demo tape was recorded in three hours and mixed in three hours in the following week. All five tracks on "Replacing Hinges Or..." were re-recorded for Düreforsög´s debut full-length studio album "Knee (1997)".
I remember this demo tape circulating when I went to high school in the mid nineties. Düreforsög were generally considered as a very interesting/hip thing by the most arty types on my high school, but the band didn´t suit my taste at the time (my interests were in death metal and later progressive metal in those years). I might have heard the demo at some party or other but quite frankly it´s a bit hard to remember much from those days (you figure it out LOL). So I don´t have the original tape, but while this review is being written Düreforsög have given visitors on their official website the opportunity to download the songs for free. I´ve downloaded and listened to the songs for a few weeks and I´m actually very impressed by what I´m hearing.
The music on the demo is eclectic in style and generally a bit weird but that´s to be expected by an avant garde rock/ metal band right. There is an emphasis on the rythm section that I really enjoy. There is both a drummer and a really skilled percussionist (I´m told that Rune T´s percussion kit consisted of all sorts of strange garbage). The bass playing is also very impressive. The guitar plays some pretty dissonant things while lead singer Boriz Schiøler shows his schizophrenic tendencies with both talking style singing (ala David Byrne, Les Claypool), weird high pitched screams and death metal growling.
The first four songs are all good examples of Düreforsög´s style while the last song "Henning?" is just a short outro. "There's Something Inside My Knee" is definitely my favorite here with its punk like vers and crazy percussion sections. Rune T´s is one crazy and skilled percussionist, that´s for sure. "Me, Myself & Ear" reminds me a bit of Primus, but Düreforsög´s generally have their own unique sound.
The musicianship is excellent. These guys were somewhere between the age of 16 and 19 when they recorded this demo and their skills are already highly evolved. Again I have to mention percussionist Rune T for his outstanding playing on the demo.
The production is raw demo quality, but still enjoyable.
The compositions are a bit imature which is excusable considering the band´s young age. I´m still greatly entertained by "Replacing Hinges Or..." though and I would recommend that you visit Düreforsög´s official website and download this demo if you think the above description of their music sounds interesting. A solid 3 star rating from me.