I'm just going to come out and say it: Delyria sounds a bit like a progressive-minded Death. I know bands hate having their musical vision condensed to a single sentence and a simple comparison (“We're SO much more than that,” they usually say), but defining characteristics are defining characteristics, and ignoring the obvious here would be similar to your feeble attempts at describing a big-breasted bank-robbing beauty to a hardened feminist police officer (“She had big…ow!…eyes?”). Besides, being compared to Death is like being compared to Dirk Diggler from the waist down: it's not really that big of a hit to the ego. In any case, these Italians have done well with their first demo by juxtaposing their thing for Evil Chuck with an interest in Burn the Priest/early Lamb of God.

“Fragile Machines” is their shining moment, a solid progressive death/thrash track with some incredibly catchy midpaced riffing, but “Black Wave” might be a clearer example of what Delyria is trying to achieve. Beginning with an Eastern-tinged build-up, the song stumbles into a ponderous approximation of modern metal complete with Blythe-esque barks, before shifting to that higher (and more satisfying) death/thrash gear. It's something that happens across the rest of the demo, these “old” and “new” styles rubbing shoulders, though the other moments are subtler, smoother, and certainly not as forced. But, whenever it happens, you still end up asking yourself whether the joining of these two styles/eras was a conscious decision.

On the one hand, you could look at it likes this: Even though they take their cues from the old guard, Delyria isn't interested in reinventing a Death or a Pestilence. Instead, they're using those familiar traits as a jumping-off point, a way to test modern waters while keeping a base that is proven to gain a favorable response from most metalheads. But, I don't think that's really true. I don't get the sense that this demo is overly calculated or made to appeal to a large demographic. In reality, Delyria simply come across as diehard fans and students of Symbolic 101 or Advanced Testimony of the Ancients, gleefully applying their acquired knowledge to a frame that has seen some changes since the early to mid ‘90s. In other words, it's a bunch of guys taking what they like out of the music they listen to, be it metal legends or current metal fixations, and putting it all together well. 

Thing is, while it might read like Delyria’s demo is an awkward jumble, it works far more often than not. That's not to say there isn't a bit of filler across these four songs, but the good (the riffing on “Fragile Machines,” for instance) and the amount of skill the band already possesses outweigh the tedious and unsure moments. Best of all, Delyria is able to resurrect that classic progressive death/thrash atmosphere without it being a redundant rehash. It gives this set that ultra-familiar sound without it feeling plagiaristic. That might irk some folks, especially those that think the past should remain in the past, but ask yourself this: Does looking and tasting like the billions of sandwiches that came before it make your grilled cheese any less delicious? Didn't think so. Check this out.