Demonstealer
This Burden is Mine
Release Date: 25 March 2016
Review by Matt Bolton
The name Sahil Makhija should translate to ‘true legend.’ As the man is just that, in his hometown of Mumbai in India where he has his very own metal podcast; that being the only one in the country. Besides fronting blackened death metal band Demonic Resurrection, Sahil has released a solo project of massive proportions, that being the mighty Demonstealer. Sahil provides the vocals and guitar while Ashwin Shriyan, also of Demonic Resurrection frantically belts away on the bass to the amazing drum work of George Kollias, of Nile fame.
Opening track, How the Mighty Have Fallen, releases the beast that is Demonstealer, with Kollias belting away at the kit, showing what a powerhouse the man is. Sahil is capable of some hard hitting riffs that sync up nicely to the tight drum work and pummelling bass lines. Nishith Hegde, also of Demonic Resurrection gives an inspiring guitar solo on this track, as well as some guitar wizardry on, When the Hope Withers and Dies.
Apart from the growls, Sahil achieves some commendable work with clean vocals. We hear them in parts on the opening track but more so as the album goes on. An Unforgiving Truth, has a gothic feel to it with talk of love lost; “Your heart does test my faith…” and goes on with “She cried, I couldn’t hear her scream. She died I couldn’t hear her scream.” The clean vocals work well on this track.
The good thing is there is always something different just around the corner. With constant death growls from Sahil, awe-inspiring blast beats by Kollias and just the right mix of clean vocals; Demonstealer can do no wrong.
In the lyric department Sahil impresses particularly on title track, This Burden is Mine. I love the line, “…of a journey into the unknown I speak, where the chances to succeed are bleak, like a walk down life’s one-way street.” Many of the tracks have potential to stand the test of time and become ‘classic’ metal tracks. Frail Fallible, is among many of these highlights. This album has all the elements of becoming a metal masterpiece, pleasing fans of most sub-genres. Enjoy!
