Neuropath – At Damnation’s Core (2023)

Neuropath are another unfortunate example of a highly talented band that never managed to stick around long enough for a full length. The band managed to release two demos within a span of three years before completely disappearing. Almost three decades later we are finally rewarded with this compilation that shows a mature yet highly ambitious band who should have delivered a classic of the genre.

First demo Nefarious Vivisection is surprisingly well produced for a first demo and is on par with the production of a lot of albums from that period with a solid performance from all the musicians and feeling more like an EP than an actual demo. Musically the band is caught between Suffocation and Deicide but tone down the signature aggression of both and focus moreso on exploiting their melodic sensibilities. Each song gravitates around a very strong yet simple riff that the band return to often as a kind of leitmotif that maintains the song’s identity. Around those riffs, the band will throw a lot more complex ideas delivered through a myriad of ways but always seem to focus on a simple yet satisfying chromatic melody. Though all four songs do lead into a Slayeresque breakdown halfway through before exploding all over the place for their finales, this does not feel formulaic as the band are very good at injecting their own twist to it with some creative changes in tempo and rhythm.

Second demo Desert of Excruciation keeps a lot of the same ideas presented on Nefarious Vivisection with even sharper production yet sees the band execute those ideas within a framework defined by the blossoming brutal death metal that marked that time period. The melodic sensibilities are still there but have been expanded on with longer melodies and some quite a bit of development with those melodies. The band still focus on those strong riffs but don’t rely on them as much and at this point are capable of infusing atmosphere in the form of layered clean guitars and ethereal guitar leads. This added contrast makes the following chugging riffs even more brutal in contrast and removes the need for some of the more obvious ideas from the previous demo.

At Damnation’s Core offers a very short glimpse in what should have been two fantastic albums from a band that had their own stylistic voice and the technical and artistic tools necessary to make that a reality. There is no need for refinement in either of those demos and all that was missing was more content. As it stands Neuropath are a band that deserve recognition and a place in the pantheon as their short output outclasses most bands within the style.