Sarcolytic
Demo 2004

Anyone who has been around the Death Metal scene in the last five years will have heard the name Jon Zig mentioned at least once; he started out as a tattoo artist before moving on to airbrushing on motorcycles and trucks, and he is the artist behind many Death and Brutal Death CD covers, appearing to be the Dan Seagrave of the twenty-first century. Like the aforementioned was the creator of beautiful album covers that have made history in this genre (Suffocation, Gorguts, Benediction etc.), Zig is working hard to become his heir; artists like Degrade, Vomit The Soul, Insidious Decrepancy, Putridity, and many others have relied on his talent for their artwork, which is undeniably artistic, even if almost always in poor taste (but I like it!).
Many say he will never reach the level of his "master," although one could counter that the historical conditions for this to happen are no longer present; the fact remains that Jon Zig is a great artist and, more importantly, he is not the first well-paid cartoonist by emerging groups, but a person who genuinely cares for the artists he works for.

Now I suppose you are wondering why I'm talking about Jon Zig instead of discussing Sarcolytic; it’s very simple, because Sarcolytic is Jon Zig’s band and besides this, there’s not much else special about them. At least, however, they demonstrate that our man is a true connoisseur of the genre who, in his free time, dedicates himself to this kind of music.

Although they have been active for a few years, Sarcolytic only released this demo in 2004, which gives an idea of how the band was born as a recreational project and not as a real Death Metal Band. Sarcolytic, speaking frankly, are four friends who occasionally get together to play, without many aspirations and with the sole aim of having some fun. If you find a very well-crafted artwork, then, do not think that it is a way to neatly package the product, but rather a professional idiosyncrasy of the good Zig, who is obviously the author of it all (I would dare say it's less "in shape" in his own work than in others!).

The American foursome's offering is nothing more than a Brutal Death heavily inspired by the Californian school, which means that the melody is almost non-existent; however, they do not reach the intransigence of bands like Disgorge or Decrepit Birth, but resemble slightly more "open" groups such as Severed Savior, Odious Mortem (both bands I always want to review), and Deeds Of Flesh. The songs are only three, namely "Atavism Infernal", "Shifting Forms", and "Wine Like Clotted Blood", which I could define as three honest Brutal Death songs.

It’s unfortunate to say, but while they are nice songs, they have nothing special: the guitarist (a real smack-worthy face) does his usual dirty work with the usual Palm Mute riffs and usual scales, although every now and then, as in "Shifting Forms", he pulls out something truly beautiful. His performance remains on average levels, never taking off. In short, he’s not scarce but virtuosos and inventive artists are others: apart from some Stop and Go and other nice things, there’s no tripe for cats.

The same goes for the drummer, perhaps a bit wasted; I hope our drummer is involved in other projects because it would be a shame to limit him to play in an amateur group as he has good skills. From a strictly musical perspective, I find him the most prepared member, a preparation that shows in "unusual" rhythms, syncopations, and the precision with which he varies the speed of the Blast Beat. He may not be a great virtuoso either, but definitely deserves attention, if only because he's the only one doing something to stand out.

Nothing to say (not in the sense that it’s unassailable but in the sense that I have nothing to say) about the bass, an instrument you hear once a song to be exaggerated.

And Jon? Jon sings and sings quite well; a good Growl as many are heard, but still appreciable from an amateur.

The songs are well composed and for this, Sarcolytic deserves homage; even if they play just for fun, they have four ideas on how to put together a piece. The songs are indeed solid in their structure and not haphazardly put together, a sign that between them all, they have learned the lesson from more experienced and famous groups. The mood is almost absent, as befits a true Garage Band, as is the decidedly Low-Cost production, quite filtered.

It is difficult to give an overall judgment on a work like this; already, demos are difficult subjects of criticism due to their short length and the fact that they are usually a prelude to Full Length albums; considering it is an amateur group makes things even more complicated. If I had to judge Sarcolytic as a Brutal Death Metal Band, I would say they are absolutely negligible, judging them instead as a "group of friends" I could say they deserve a listen; if by not putting in much effort they manage to produce a decent demo, I believe that with more effort they could do a good job and with a lot of effort a really good job. In any case, I don’t feel like giving more than passing marks, although, to be honest, I would be quite interested in hearing them on a Full Length album, which hopefully will come soon.