November 20, 2008 | | 3

Apriori, Obsessive Reactions

Apriori are the by-product of twin Turkish brothers that have an affinity for all things blackened. Obsessive Reactions, the duo’s second demo, is a pretty varied mix of thrash, black metal, melodic death metal and ambient doom. There’s a great deal mixed into the disc’s five tracks — and at a pretty skilled level of musicianship.

The guitars on the demo really stand out, combining thrashing riffs with misanthropic black metal tendencies. The rhythms are usually fast paced with a menacing feel as the two crash and slash their way through each note. The vocal delivery is impressive and just as varied as they shift from deep guttural growls, to mid-range belts and higher end black metal shrieks.

Apathetic Senses
The opening track opens up violently with blackened, thrash fueled guitars that let volley after volley loose upon your skull. This one has a high energy and aggressive feel as the vocals growl and grunt over the driving rhythms.

Chaotic Demands
“Chaotic Demands” has a more black metal feel with the incorporate of distant, ambient keyboards. The add a nice depth to the band’s sound. The riffing fits the black metal bill nicely as the vocals deliver their dark message in a mid-range death rasp. There’s a desolate and misanthropic feel to this one.

Life Betrays
I’m really digging the opening guitar work and explosive drums that get this next track going along with a deep growl. The frenetic pace of “Life Betrays” adds to its raw and unfiltered feel. It’s got some serious and solid power behind it and is easily my favorite track on the demo.

Brotherhoods of Sin
A solid, memorable bit of guitar work (if a bit messy) gets “Brotherhoods of Sin” off to a raw start. The vocalizer effects vocals are an interesting change of pace. The vocals shift to a more blackened feel as the track progresses, but visits the vocalizer a few more times before it’s done. You definitely get the concept of the demo with all that these guys are throwing at you — black metal, death, thrash and now this. Someone is sure to find something to like about this duo.

Emptiness
The final track makes a sharp departure from the despair and vehemence. Light guitar work starts this one off as it serves to showcase the brothers’ softer side as a doomy, melancholy ballad of sorts.

~ ~ ~

To tell you the truth, I really wasn’t expecting much from this one when I first got the promo from the brothers. But man, after a few spins it quickly becomes apparent that these dudes know how to play some aggressive, raw metal. And this is just the tip of the iceberg for them. With some label support and a little fine tuning, we could be seeing the early beginnings of a bright future for Apriori.

Favorite Tracks:
All of them

Additional Notes:
N/A