Velnias have found a nice balance between blazing fast black metal and black and roll, while never fully commiting to one specific style. I like this in a band, because it can keep the listener guessing, while preventing the artists from pigeonholing themselves to where they can’t stretch out and experiment with new sounds and styles in the future if they feel it to be necessary.

What’s important to keep in mind while listening to any demo of course is that it’s usually one of the first releases of any new band. Not only that, but to spend some of that time listening for what the band can potentially do, while not criticizing them for leaving anything out.

The song writing on this demo is very well structured, and the pacing is mindful of what there is to work with in any given measure, stanza, or bridge. All of the songs here are ambitious, moving past the six minute mark, and then some.

While I sometimes listen to this and don’t feel anything specific grabbing me by the shirt collar, there’s definitely a feel on this demo that shows great potential for the future. What keeps bringing me back for repeated listens is the “looking glass” I see, and where this project could potentially go in the future. Rather exciting indeed.

Visit Velnias’s Myspace page here.