DEMO

Loincloth is an US technical/progressive metal act formed by members of Confessor and Breadwinner. The band was formed in 2000 after Confessor disbanded and released this demo in 2003. 2 of the 4 tracks on the 11:46 minutes long demo are also featured on the "Church Burntings / New Jersey" single also released in 2003. Those two releases were the only releases by the band for many years as bassist Cary Rowells and drummer Steve Shelton returned to Confessor and focused their energy on that band. Loincloth never officially disbanded though and they finally released their debut full-length studio album "Iron Balls of Steel" in January 2012. The album features the same lineup as this 2003 demo. In addition to the above mentioned rhythm section the lineup also includes guitarists Tannon Penland and Pen Rollings. None of the four tracks featured on the demo appeared on the tracklist for "Iron Balls of Steel (2012)".

Stylistically the music on the demo is instrumental technical/progressive metal played by four very skilled musicians. The rhythm section is on fire, delivering varied and powerful technical playing, and the two guitarists follow suit. There are times when the music sounds like 90s Confessor without Scott Jeffrey's distinct sounding high pitched vocals in front, but this is slightly more focused on technical playing and not as doomy as Confessor. The demo is very well produced, featuring a sharp, powerful, and detailed production, which suits the material well.

The material is well written although not instantly memorable as there are very little in the way of melody featured on the compositions. It's pretty cold and clinical in that way, which also provides the material with a gloomy futuristic atmosphere. There's no doubt it's fascinating and intriguing music seen from a technical point of view, but to those who prefer hook laden or melodic oriented music, this could very well turn out to be a hard challenge. For the style this is a quality release though and considering that it's a demo, this sounds surprisingly professional. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)