Band:	Reign Of Terror
Album:	Sword Of Antichrist
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	August 2003

01. Satanic Upheaval
02. Nocturnal Enbludgeonment
03. Fornicated Below Churches Of Unrelenting Profanation
04. Sword Of Antichrist
05. Immortal Cessation

Darkness falls. The Antichrist comes to rule the world and brings a thousand years of terror and suffering. That is the painting that quickly takes shape in your mind while listening to the new demo from the Texas-based combo Reign Of Terror, "Sword Of Antichrist". As you already probably guessed with the titles, this band plays Satanic Death metal, however, what you still have to figure out is how good they are. Well, the answer is quite obvious from the first listen, amazingly technical and above all brutal, this demo is a testimony of Reign Of Terror's talent.

Even if this record is a demo, the band has already been recording three albums and they've been touring with great names such as Deicide, Malevolent Creation and Krisiun among others. This album is also the base for their upcoming full-length effort "Satanic Upheaval" [scheduled for this year, 2004] and the least I can say is that this one would be worth a deep listen.

While "Sword Of Antichrist" kicks in with 'Satanic Upheaval', the comparison with Deicide is hard to avoid, brutality in large doses, satanic lyrics and grunts flourishing along the track. But the important point here is the quality of the song itself is much better than a lot of other brutal death metal combos and this remark is good for the entire album. The rhythmic section is mind-blowing with Marc "The Engine" Arredondo behind the drum kit, without being 100% in your face just for fun. This is particularly obvious on 'Nocturnal Enbludgeonment'.

Originality is also there with 'Fornicated Below Churches Of Unrelenting Profanation' and I'm not talking about the title but about the Doom feeling that accompany the listener for almost 4 minutes. It's an excellent composition.

The title track is a powerful anthem of Satanic Death metal, extremely catchy, even for the not-so-fan-of-brutal-death that I am. Excellent work throughout the song, the end is one of the fastest drum rhythm I've ever heard but it also finishes the song perfectly. The last track is in the same category and a weird ghost track haunts the end of "Sword Of Antichrist" and concludes this demo on another Doom moment.

Brutal, technical, good production, excellent musicianship, this band has it all. Satanic Death metal is alive and well, and Reign Of Terror should be on the top of your list for 2004 with their upcoming release 'Satanic Upheaval'. Meanwhile, get yourself a nice preview with this damn good demo entitled "Sword Of Antichrist" and develop your curiosity about one of the most promising bands for the years to come by rushing to their website.