UMUR
"Demo I" is a demo release by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The demo was originally independently released on cassette tape in 1992. The material was recorded in June 1992 and "Demo I" is the band´s first release. Paraxism formed in 1990 and existed until their split-up on 1998. They never managed to release a full-length studio album, but they released no less than six demos and one EP on the Crawfish Recordings label before disbanding.
Stylistically the material on the 5 track, 16:08 minutes long demo is technically well played old school death metal (tempo changes, riff changes, relatively technical drumming). It´s relatively brutal and the growling vocals are nicely aggressive. One of the assets of the demo are the high level musicianship from all involved. Paraxism do not sound like a band releasing their first demo. The material is slightly one-dimensional in nature, but it´s not really an issue on a release this short, and the overall songwriting is strong.
The demo features a raw, unpolished, and brutal sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. The guitar tone is especially noteworthy because of the sharpness of the sound. This guitar sound could cut through steel. So upon conclusion this is a good quality first demo by Paraxism and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.