Demonstealer's Infernal Eventuality: "From Extinction Begins Evolution" (Track + Video Premiere)
While Demonstealer may appear to be an utterly fantastical venture going by its vivid choices in album art, the Indian extreme metal act often finds inspiration in the crueler reaches of reality. While the last EP from this one-man-powerhouse confronted humanity’s ongoing decline, the upcoming The Holocene Termination EP is more like a celebration of the eventual end. Packed with high-tier guest appearances, the four-track release features Demonstealer’s (also known as Sahil Makhija) vicious and energetic mix of death, black, and thrash metal that coats its annihilating force with beguiling traces of melody, further mutated through Makhija’s careful choice of co-conspirators. Today, we’re premiering the lyric-video-meets-play-along-video for “From Extinction Begins Evolution,” which features Simon Schilling (Marduk) on drums, Anton Zhikharev (Gorgasm) on bass, and Fabio Bartoletti (Fleshgod Apocalypse) contributing a solo.
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The critical mass of talent that convenes on “From Extinction Begins Evolution” wastes no time converging into a whirling, annihilating opening blitz, quickly moving on to punishing verses and choruses that unify around the intricate riffing. Schilling works stunningly tight blasts into his drum work on this track, but not for any extended length of time: like it’s driven by natural selection, the track never seems to run out of new riffs or rhythms to flaunt and certainly never dwells on one long enough to stagnate. Near the end, a staggered triplet breakdown gives way to Bartoletti’s closing solo, blossoming like life among the ruins.
It’s a testament to Makhija’s songwriting skill that even with a host of guest contributors each song on this EP is an obvious product of Demonstealer, no ambiguity there—but, as seen on this track, the assembled musicians’ unique skill sets all leave their mark in highly relistenable ways.
Makhija comments:
“From Extinction Begins Evolution” is probably the most complex and brutal song on the EP. I’ve been a big fan of Simon Schilling’s drumming and working with him on this song was an absolute pleasure. He actually pushed me to make the song better and change some of the older riffs so this track went through a few changes and it came out much better at the end. What’s the real mind bender is the fact that Simon recorded this song in one take. I remember him telling me he wasn’t too familiar with recording himself so he had to do the whole thing in one take and what a performance it was. Anton’s bass playing just added to the frenzy of the song and Fabio’s solo was just icing on the cake. This song is definitely one I am super proud of and I can’t wait for people to hear it.
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The Holocene Termination EP releases December 3rd, 2021 via Demonstealer Records.
