Demos

Lithurgy - Demo

Owain Paciuszko 31/12/2008

Rating: 3/5

My first compulsion on picking up this three track demo by Brighton metal band Lithurgy was to investigate their name. Of course 'Lethargy' is a lack of energy or enthusiasm, and clearly from the opening barrage of riffs, choppy time signatures and dual vocals on Lost In Translation they are not a particularly lethargic group. Then there's 'liturgy' which is a set form of public Christian worship, and though track two claims to be The Absolute Truth I don't think the Tool-like sounds herein will be taking prominence at Sunday worship. Finally there is 'litharge' which is a yellowish or reddish, odorless, heavy, earthy, water-insoluble, poisonous solid and in some ways seems close...

This three track EP escapes the trappings of many other metal bands by showcasing a group who play well, keep things lively and inventive and manage to fill even the two six-minute-plus tracks on here with ideas and memorable hooks. The vocals keep me at arms length (with the more gutteral singer occasionally sounding like the Cookie Monster), but that's a general quirk I have with certain metal-acts, yet Lithurgy are - as far as metal goes - much more approachable for a non-metal fan.