I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: I’m typically not a fan of demos. Sure, there are the occasional exceptions, but I’m not a real fan of an unpolished sound because I know the material could sound better with some studio tweaking (usually, anyway). Yet, there is always something that catches my eye as well as my ear when it comes to demos, Merlock gave me the most recent example with their eponymous debut and it certainly has plenty of potential.

It’s not often that I can find a sample of psychedelic heavy metal while still bringing in elements of rock and then have that be a raw experience due to the sheer nature of demos. but Merlock is far from your typical act. I understand it may be hard to imagine psychedelic heavy metal given how it’s somewhat of a dying art in recent years (or maybe it’s not, prove me wrong), but Merlock makes a really strong case for it with these three tracks given how the fusion of heavy metal and rock take the foreground whilst the psychedelia stays in the background. It’s an oddly satisfying and balanced formula with Merlock taking plenty twists and turns to make this demo an intriguing one with either riffs adorning the crispy tunes or the music veering off into a more experimental phase that gives us a brief glimpse at the gears turning in the minds behind Merlock. The talent isn’t displayed at full power here, and that’s fair given this is the band’s first effort of any kind and the fact that it’s a demo doesn’t give many credentials to the overall sound. Even then, however, it all comes together to make this definitely odd piece of material an interesting one by the end, and that’s something demos very rarely manage to do.

Merlock has far from garnered my full attention, but this demo undoubtedly prompts a watchful eye on this act. Their sound has the potential to grow into something truly fascinating and I’ll want to be there when that shit hits the world.

LISTEN to “Merlock” on Bandcamp here or via YouTube below.

LIKE Merlock on Facebook here.