Hailing from Milan, Italy since last year, BLAKE'S VENGEANCE is a Technical Thrash Metal band that you don't really hear very much these days from the younger generation - who prefer to keep most of the old school Bay Area movement at the heart of their sound. I'm guessing that this 4 song Demo is their first product to date, and even though we have only 19 minutes of music at hand, there is plenty to delve into sonically so let's see what the quartet has to offer.

The first thing I noticed in regards to the band is a unique, semi-Progressive use to their guitar harmonies - Dave and Sam like to employ a lot of intricate spider-web oriented licks and tricks that take possibly an IRON MAIDEN influence and then transform them into something you would hear from CORONER or possibly REALM back in their heydays. The 6 minute "Ronin" has that standout factor, the gang chorus blending seamlessly against the rhythms while Dave reaches into his upper falsetto edge at times for extra emotional emphasis. The tempo for "Blind to the World" has a little more of a brooding feel, incorporating softer, quieter textures, making this one of the more introspective arrangements of the four.

Vic as a bassist also gets a chance to be forefront in some of his parts for the band - check out the beginning to the final cut "The Machine" - probably the most 'conventional' for BLAKE'S VENGEANCE where Zippo gains an opportunity to flex more of his double bass/ fill skills. I'd say overall the band has a distinct direction that they appear to be going in- balancing out their obvious Technical Thrash with a sense of hooks/ melodies so that they don't become too consumed in intricacy.

This is a great start for the group- I'm curious to watch the development of this band, because as stated from the onset, you don't get to hear many bands that challenge you in the Thrash genre these days.