Metal Underground.com

The cold, relentless fury of black metal speaks to the many hordes of metal fans in a way other styles can’t, so it should be no surprise that a multitude of black metal bands have sprung up over the years. Like many of the nameless masses on the lower end of the scale, Belgium’s Slecht has put together another iteration of rasping, misanthropic metal. Although there are a few moments of interest, and the demo makes a valiant attempt at changing up the formula towards the end, “In Decay - How Greed Takes Us To Our End” just doesn’t have anything spectacular to separate it from any other band.

Despite the overall lack of truly innovate or unique sounds, there are a few ways in which Slecht avoids the standard black metal pitfalls that are worth mentioning. The demo has muted production that would be expected of this sort of release, but the bass is still figured prominently in the music. Slecht drummer DH also manages to mostly skip the repetitive deluge of endless blast beats that mar so many other black metal acts.

Those commendable qualities don’t manage to pull the demo out of mediocrity, however. The music is simple to the point of almost deserving the title “minimalistic.” The guitar riffs aren’t anything to write home about, but they do keep the music firmly in the realm of metal. Each note plods along at a slow to mid-tempo pace, but without any of the booming, epic quality of funeral doom or sludge. “Rape and Burn” also features a rather abrupt ending that doesn’t really go anywhere.

Vocally, Slecht has hit a nice screeching rasp that brings to mind certain old school black metal bands, but with a decent amount of range. A few tortured primal screams get belted out on “(N)acht,” which provides a welcome change up from the standard lyrical delivery and gives a little more depth. As a last ditch effort at creating something a little different, “Einde Der Tijd” abruptly switches gears halfway through with a thrash based distorted guitar segment. It probably won’t get any crowds moshing, but it’s not entirely unwelcome either.

Overall Slecht’s latest demo is just average, middle of the road black metal with nothing to really make it stand out. These songs could have all been taken to another level of intensity, or just simply been more interesting to listen to, if there had been more technicality, some symphonic elements, or anything unique at all.