Ectovoid - Breathing Blackness

ECTOVOID - Breathing Blackness (Self released demo CDR 2011)

I’ve been waiting to hear this demo from the US based squadron Ectovoid ever since I was massacred by the debut full length album, which this band released only a couple of months ago. I still think that “Fractured in the Timeless Abyss” is one of the most superb and awesome albums, which I had a chance to listen to this year. I know that metal is not a sport competition, but I find it better than many other LPs, for which I’ve been waiting impatiently, even the likes of Nile or The Grotesquery didn’t shred me as much as Ectovoid did. So, I contacted the band in order to get their demo also, as it’s always cool to have a full discography of the band, but also I wanted to see what the music on it was like. I kinda expected similar sort of death metal devastation and basically I wasn’t wrong, with the exception that “Breathing Blackness” is just not as killer as “Fractured in the Timeless Abyss”.

What I guess is normal. It is obvious that “Fractured in the Timeless Abyss” sounds better, has more professional production and the band has developed since recording the demo. So, if I write that the album is better than the demo, then Ectovoid should be proud of that, because that mean they’ve done better job on the second recording. Ectovoid has really improved on “Fractured in the Timeless Abyss”, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy “Breathing Blackness”. I actually really like its rougher and sort of primitive nature. The production of the demo is quite raw, especially the drums sound more primitively – if I can use this word – and it definitely lacks the enormous lethal power of the CD, but at the same time I must admit that it is definitely not bad for the demo. You can hear all the instruments, which is already good hehe, but it’s also quite brutal and definitely the sound fits the music of Ectovoid perfectly… at least at the demo stage. What I like about the sound from this demo is that I have a feeling like I was listening to the band when rehearsing, which is cool. And also when listening to “Breathing Blackness” I can also realize how much does great production, mixing, etc improve the worth of the songs. All three tracks from the demo appear also on “Fractured in the Timeless Abyss”, but while there they’re like bulldozers, just crushing everything on its way, here on the demo they can barely move a brick. Of course they’re still good songs and I like these demo versions – “Chewing through the Membranes of Time and Space” (what a title hehe!) being my definite favourite – but they’re nothing against the CD version.

Anyway, for the time of its release “Breathing Blackness” was just solid demo material and without having the album in my mind yet, I can definitely say that Ectovoid would definitely catch my attention anyway, I just like this kind of brutal death metal, which at times is fast, but heavy as hell and then can just roll over you with a massive slow piece. I’m sure that John McEntee is proud to have such talented disciples hehe! Request for this demo then, you can still pick it up directly from the band, on CDR, but those who would rather want a tape version Unholy Domain Records prepares a surprise, which is a release of “Breathing Blackness” on cassette format, with different artwork. Get it asap then! But most of all don’t forget to check the “Fractured in the Timeless Abyss” out!

Final rate: 70/100