Untimely Demise

Fiery and enthused, Saskatoon, SK's Untimely Demise dig deep into the well of death, thrash and late-era grindcore for full-length debut City of Steel. Initial sentiments deem the trio a bit too nublie to formulate their obvious inspiration into something unique. Many of the tracks have an aura of overt familiarity, not unlike a facial recognition program that can't discern between the finer aspects of two similar-looking people. At that, these seven songs are a culmination of Carcass's whole-note holding patterns and melodic solos, Kreator- and Death Angel-esque vocals, Testament's elongated arpeggios (did they steal "The Ballad" outright for the intro to "Unmaker?") and Death's hammering mid-tempo onslaught. It works for the majority of the album, but one can't shake the feeling that, at this point, these guys are diehard enthusiasts with impeccable agility, as opposed to dudes poised to redefine the genre. With a few more miles, figuratively and technically, they'll nail down the chugs, shreds and double-kick, giving the old guard some heebie-jeebies. But with City of Steel, they're just shy.