Let it be documented: I’m a fucking nerd. Here’s how much of a nerd I’m capable of being: every great once in a while, I’ll pull out an old back issue of MRR or Heartattack and check out the demo sections. I find it absolutely fascinating reading which bands gets shitcanned or ripped on over their demos, but manage to stick with it and eventually put out actual records that a lot of people wind up listening to. I’ve read enough back issues of said zines to know that just because you get tapped in a demo review, it doesn’t really mean shit—at least a third of demo-smashed bands, seems like, wind up putting out a “legitimate” release that’s generally a lot better. That said, Kids Of Carnage, take whatever I have to say with a grain of salt: don’t let it dash out your hopes on the water-worn cliffs of futility or whatever. It’s called a demo, and that’s exactly what it is. So. The front and back covers are pieces of paper glued over some cardstock cover of some other CD promo single. The CD-R face has Sharpie written on it. Six songs—they manage to mix up the tempos a bit here and there, but it’s still something that I swear I’ve heard before. Many times. Sometimes it’s plodding, sometimes it’s fast, sometimes there’s a little metal in the frying pan, sometimes there’s a chugga chugga part or a pick scream. Can’t say I’ll be playing this thing very often once this review is done, but they might wind up surprising me and coming out with something decent in the future.
–keith (Self-released)