Tag Diving: Demos
The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.
Welcome back to Tag Diving! It’s the column where you already know how it works so I’m not going to explain it this time. As usual, I’m on the hunt for the auditory equivalent of a gently-used drum kit, even if it may be missing a piece or two (it’s literally just the stool). I’ve always been a big fan of demos—raw recordings, early versions of songs, often short and sweet, and frequently accompanied by that art style that I do so adore—it all makes me a happy man. I found a lot of good stuff this week, so don’t hold me to it, but I might do a part 2 next Thursday. We’ll see. But for now, let’s dig in!
Warlock Corpse – Forest Swamp
Alright, first off I’m pretty sure once you’ve reached 60 minutes you can no longer call this a demo, much less once you’ve hit 90, but hey, it’s a free country. Warlock Corpse is a name you probably recognize if you’ve spent much time browsing the world of dungeon synth. His releases are fairly frequent and always pretty high quality. Forest Swamp is no exception. Personally “Forest” reminds me more of a swamp and “Swamp” reminds me more of a forest, but either way, they’d both be great for D&D sessions (as is their stated purpose). Both tracks are ambient melodies that slowly, almost imperceptibly, evolve as the tracks go on. I like “Forest” a bit more than “Swamp,” but the latter has some pretty fun percussion. Try throwing these on next time you’ve got a group over for your TTRPG of choice!
Rose Kemp – The Lost EP 2008
We’ve had some odd folky stuff two weeks in a row now, and you know what? I’m down for it. I haven’t heard any of Rose Kemp’s other work, but I understand that most of it tends to be kind of doomy and psychedelic, which are two of my favorite words. This little EP is rough around the edges in all the right ways, and if the rest of her discography (which I will be listening to) sounds anything like this, I’ll be very pleased.
Lymbic Scythe – I
Somehow I always forget that I really like funeral doom. “The Shores of Death” served not just as an excellent reminder, but as an excellent example. If you told me this was a long-lost Thergothon song, I would 100% believe you. If that sounds at all enticing, check it out, because at 17:50, it’s the shortest funeral doom album you’ll ever hear. I just wish I’d known about this years ago so I could have gotten a tape!
We had a pretty diverse haul this week! Hopefully next week’s will be a fun one too. See you all then!
