Prey
Fly to... (Demo) 2001 No Label
This is a one take recorded demo of a doomband that arose from the Dutch depths recently. Their music sounds quite straight-forward, complications left away, and very varied. A little too varied in my humble opinion. It seems that they are still looking for an own identity. The songs are quite different from each other, either in tempo, atmosphere or heaviness. All in all I think this can be called gothy / doomy melancholic rock. The guitar sound is pretty good, especially if you consider the fact that this is a demo, recorded in one take, and there are quite some cool riffs on this release ( two per song to be precise). Hopefully the songwriting will go a little further than the 1-2-1-2... composing pattern on the next release. Doubting between heavy and laid down is no problem. A heavy album may contain a few calmer songs, or the opposite way round. But a continuous change-over from heavy to calm even within the songs (like 6 times in 3 minutes) sounds forced. And when these calmer parts also happen to consist of cheesy keyboard strings, my attention is easily lost. Better luck next time, guys.	1. Fatal Fairytale 2. Please 3. Straying, trembling, rushing 4. A Sleep into Eternity 5. Prey Approx. 19 minutes
Reviewed by: Heiko Isselee
Astray (Demo CD) 2007 None
Prey is a young Dutch band that plays "HeartFelt" music, as they call it at their website. In this case, that means emotional rock/metal with a touch of goth. And heartfelt it is indeed, as can be garnered from the lyrics and often intense clean vocals by Roeland. The music on this nicely presented demo CD holds the middle ground between a heavier kind of rock and metal. Often it does not reach the intensity of the latter because of the production. Personally, I think a bit more heaviness, especially in the guitar department, wouldn't have hurt this release. The production also tones down the vocals a bit too much. As it is, Roeland's singing, especially in the more intense parts, sound a bit too forced, and I think that is more because of a thin production than because of him - I believe he has a powerful emotional voice that is very appropriate for this kind of music. Of the tracks, only the second track, "Astray", really convinces me. While none of the three tracks score highly in the originality department, the title track is incredibly catchy, and just flows the best. I can imagine tracks like this one will do well live. So, this is a nice demo, with a clear but somewhat thin production, from a promising young band. While there is a lot to be improved upon, I'm sure a little dedication will take these guys and girl a long way. Until then, this demo is worth checking out for fans of emotional rock in the vein of younger Anathema, or perhaps a band like Unsilence.	1. Foetal 2. Astray 3. For You Approx. 16 minutes
Reviewed by: Oscar Strik