Demo-lition Derby: God Harvest

God Harvest
Demo
An eminent 20th Century philosopher, one Mr. Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, once posed the query: “Bass – how low can you go?” Florida’s God Harvest have responded with a hearty “Challenge Accepted.”
Over six songs that evolve from punchy grindy to moshy hardcorey, God Harvest spelunk the lower registers of musical notation where Vulgar Pigeons and Catheter used to hang out. All the components of the band – the Pete Pontikoff barking, slashing guitars and just sub-blast beat drumming – all strive for the singular purpose of knocking you over on your ass, but they all get gnawed away by the sledge hammer bass, which makes this one of the more distinctive demos this year. The songs themselves are in two distinct phases, the first three are tighter blasters while the second half gets looser, allowing the band’s musical ideas more room to breathe. However, even the grindier songs feel much longer – in a good way. They’re chock-a-block with shifty riffing or the odd vocal sideswipe that gives each tune a sense of chameleonic movement and deliberate purpose. That means while God Harvest doesn’t venture too far afield into grind incognita, the demo also doesn’t get boring either. For a band’s first effort, that’s pretty much all I ask. You can check it out here.