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DUNGEON SHAKER
Demo I (2024)

Roll up, roll up for the oddest demo of the year from English / Finnish metal four-piece Dungeon Shaker. As someone who has collected demo cassettes for decades I can guarantee that there are a few 80s bands within the stacks that sound like this. Some bands from that era, even going back to the 70s, boasted a stark and gloomy vibe littered with vocal warbles and a general stuffy air. Dungeon Shaker follows those examples, and while it may be rather forced there is a certain charm in this three track oddity.

Some may find this demo rather silly or even amateurish in its design, but at the moment it’s all the rage for bands to mimic the golden age of rough n’ ready demo tapes. Anyway, the demo kicks off with ‘Cursed Idol’, a peculiar off kilter and, dare I say it, almost shambolic dose of doom-laden sword n’ sorcery metal steeped in mystery. Josh Stormwind’s tone is an acquired taste; almost like a teenager unsure of his licks in fronting his brother’s mates’ dungeons and dragons crew.

The riffs, the solos and the drums are organic, more so on the chugging doom of ‘Hexecutioner’ where axeman Jørgen Metalizer channels Witchfinder General, and I guess in general Dungeon Shaker is of that ilk, stormily brewing and yet quivering at the same time. ‘Those Who Dwell Below’ is a lo-fi trad metal gem in the vein of Manilla Road, Pentagram etc. where the guitars of Jørgen are thick, as is the bass of Kyla Hellcat and the percussion from Oskari Räsänen. However, I feel that in their undying quest for an underground atmosphere Dungeon Shaker have become unintentionally comical, and that’s something that could go against them.

For those of you interested, the demo is available for purchase here.

Neil Arnold

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