ONSLAUGHT KOMMAND: Demo I

Release year: 2022
Label: Godz Of War Productions

Ah, South America. Home to throngs of underrated and cult-level extreme metal acts, and a veritable breeding ground of everything rabid, slavering, boneheaded, bestial and crude when it comes to metal. Though the luminaries of bestial black metal, war metal and what have you may primarily come from elsewhere, the tradition of primitive, crude extreme metal in South America is long and… well, luminous is perhaps the wrong word. Long and dirty.

Hailing from Chile, newcomers Onslaught Kommand join this honorable tradition with their first demo. Already the band’s name and spelling are telltale signs, as is the tracklist with names such as Pervert Goat Kommand and Inside The Mutilator’s Bunker: expect nothing polished, fancy or nice.

Were the musical foundation of Onslaught Kommand primarily black metal, labelling these guys as “bestial” or “war” would be a dead ringer. But, as it happens, black metal isn’t the primary ingredient; there’s more death metal in this concoction, although with a definite blackened edge.

So what do you label this kind of knuckleheaded, primitive, crude and frenetic, blackened grinding death metal? Dunno, don’t care really. Let’s just call it the death metal equivalent of “bestial”, as it is a very apt description. The riffs are straightforward brutality, the solos are classic Slayer levels of insanity, the vocals are neanderthal grunts, and the overall feel of the demo is one of unbridled extreme metal violence.

Trying to narrow things down a bit, if a combination like early Possessed mixed with Blasphemy, Nunslaughter with early Beherit, early Carcass with Black Witchery sounds like you’d sample it, then I’d wager this is up your alley.

Now, considering this is a demo, understandably it has some shortcomings. Most notably the recording would benefit from a bit beefed-up sound, with more ripping brutality in the guitars and cavernous bestiality in the vocals. Still, as far as demos go, in comparison to stuff from ye good olde demo days, this sounds good. Musically, there’s no finesse or sophistication to speak of – but considering the above, did you expect it?

Based on this, Onslaught Kommand may not have an overtly original concept on their hands, but they’ve got the potential to do some very good things with it. Taken as a demo, this is a sufficiently impressive recording to warrant praise. Even as a debut EP (the running time is 13 minutes) this would warrant interest in further doings.

Considering the digital EP is name your price on Bandcamp, there’s no reason not to check this out if the description piqued your interest even a bit. It’s not a perfect recording, but it’s a great place for Onslaught Kommand to start out from.

Check the demo out on the label’s Bandcamp