Demos are either hit or miss. When you really think about it, demos are made to just sample what a band has to offer and shouldn’t be considered and judged in a way that an album or EP would. Thusly, when I received “Endanger The Common Routine” I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from DAMAGE DISASTER. It’s their first demo, they self produced it without a label, and they are a young band. Tentatively that’s three things going against them and yet when I finished listening to “Endanger The Common Routine” I felt as though I could have easily been listening to an EP…and a good one at that.

Of course the production is going to sound pretty rough. The fact of the matter is that they are a newer band and this is their first demo. Not a whole lot of money that is going to be spent into recording this demo when you still have to eat. So I expected it to sound pretty rough – but I was still shocked at how well the demo sounded considering. The mixing might be a little loose and the recording is a little harsh but each instrument and individual can be heard and the levels are remarkably close for each. 

The performances of each member are quite impressive too. The band plays a somewhat eclectic mixture of Metal with some songs that really focus on that Post Thrash Metal groove where others really push into that Death Metal realm. It’s a fun ride from beginning to end as one transverses chunk riffs, Thrash melodies, blast beats, swing, and a good dose of classic Heavy Metal song writing. I was thoroughly impressed with the band’s ability to throw down a decent solo too. And throughout all of the blending, the music on “Endanger The Common Routine” never ceases to be catchy. I was fist pumping from the first song to the last.

If this demo is any kind of preview of what DAMAGE DISASTER can truly do…then I’ll go download the band’s stuff from iTunes (which they were recently added to – despite not having a label) just so that they have some money to really kick their next release into gear. So expect a fun mix on “Endanger The Common Routine” because the songs on it are only going to get stuck in your head.

Songs to check out:  “Show Your Scars”, “Theatre Of Doom”, “Devil’s Calling”. 

(Online February 21, 2008)