Demons, the harsh noise rock quartet hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, have never been one to shy away from aggressive rawness in their music. Infused with elements of sludge and hardcore punk, their sound has often been defined as “raw and confrontational fury”.
This ferocious foursome are set to take the heavy punk scene by storm with their newest LP, ‘Under The Western Heel‘, slated for release today via Knife Hits Records and The Ghost Is Clear Records.
Pushing Boundaries
‘Under The Western Heel’ builds upon the tempestuous energy and intrinsic aggression that made their previous EP, ‘Swallow’, a stand-out amongst listeners. This forthcoming offering pushes boundaries further by incorporating sludged-out dirges and noise rock blasts, serving as a potent critique on the systems under which we have been compelled to function.
Fans of Metz, Converge, and The Bronx are poised to revel in this demolitionist’s approach. The LP effectively channels the intensity of these influences while retaining its distinctive Demons-esque signature.
A New Creative Direction
Interestingly, ‘Under The Western Heel’ is an album born out of creative disorder. “We were the least prepared we’ve ever been when we started recording this record,” says Zach Gehring, the guitarist of Demons. This level of unpreparedness unexpectedly became an integral part of the recording process, bringing a fresh, energized dynamic to the album’s creation.
Venturing outside of their comfort zone, the band made the decision to travel to a different studio and work with an unfamiliar engineer, Seth Manchester. This intentional move towards unfamiliarity seemed to reframe creative impasses, injecting new energy into their song creation, especially in areas of uncertainty.
“The degree of unfamiliarity had a positive impact on the process. Creative impasses or crisis moments in the process take on a different energy in unfamiliar spaces, and Seth’s involvement in those moments was integral in terms of finding ways to move forward,” Gehring explained.
‘Under The Western Heel’ captures a specific moment in time for the band, serving as a poignant snapshot of their journey. It encapsulates the challenges, uncertainties, and triumphs of their process in an authentic, raw narrative – a narrative that is set to resonate with fans old and new.
