ZX Spectrum - "Human Herd"
(Latvia, Self released, Death'n'Roll, 2005)
I was already aware of Latvian Death'n'Rollers ZX Spectrum as I had already reviewed their previous demo "Not Really" for another zine. I was curious to see how this band had developed and so downloaded this 2005 demo from their website.No significant change in style, we still have a very strong "Heartwork" era Carcass influence on the songs. ZX Spectrum, to their credit, make no secret about their love for the Rot'n'Roll style developed by that band so we can simply ignore the question of originality and look at the quality of "Human Herd". And quality you will find, the demo starts out with a rocking track called "Indigo Children" which is full of crunchy riffs and catchy leads. "Dismiss The Politics" and "My Faith Is Running Dry" both appeared on the previous demo and are also excellent slabs of Death'n'Roll. Special note is to the production, considering this is a home made demo the sound is very good, every instrument can be heard and it sounds pretty professional. If I were to nitpick though, I would say that drum machines do not suit this kind of music at all. It's well programmed on this demo, but still... some styles require the dynamics of a real drummer more than others. I think if ZX Spectrum got a real drummer and turned up the intensity a little bit (maybe a little more like Entombed sounded on "Wolverine Blues") they would be capable of making a really killer record! You can download "Human Herd" from ZX Spectrum's website at: www.zx-spectrum.org
