ÄXE - AUTOGEDDON

'Warriors of the Death Raid' opens the demo with vicious, uncompromising riffs, sinister vocals, and a menacing laugh that immediately establishes its hostile atmosphere. From the outset, ÄXE embraces the raw spirit of classic black/speed metal, pairing sharp, gritty guitar work with relentless drumming that drives the song forward at full force. The dense wall of sound occasionally blurs the individual elements, but rather than feeling like a flaw, it reinforces the chaotic underground aesthetic the band is clearly aiming for. Raw, aggressive, and unapologetically old-school, it is an exhilarating opening statement. 

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With its melodic drum intro, 'Violent Hedonism' wastes no time plunging into an up-tempo assault. A prominent bass line immediately cuts through the mix, giving the song an added sense of weight beneath the razor-sharp riffs. The vocals are savage and venomous, spitting each line with relentless aggression that makes the track feel tailor-made for the live stage. Around the halfway point, a well-executed guitar solo briefly emerges from the chaos before ÄXE once again descend into their trademark whirlwind of controlled disorder. It is precisely this balance between raw aggression and calculated mayhem that makes the song so effective. 

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'Weapon Creed' opens with a raw, distorted guitar passage driven by piercing tremolo picking before exploding into a whirlwind of blistering speed and abyssal growls. The vocal performance borders on possessed, matching the intensity of the instrumentation without ever losing control. Despite its overwhelming ferocity, the song never descends into aimless chaos; every riff, drum pattern, and vocal line feels purposeful, reinforcing the band's uncompromising black/speed metal approach. It is the kind of track whose relentless energy seems destined to ignite a mosh pit the moment it is played live.

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'Distortion to Hell' captures the raw essence of old-school black/speed metal from its very first moments. The vocals are particularly striking, shifting between venomous hisses, tortured screams, and an almost possessed delivery that injects the track with an unmistakable sense of menace. Beneath the chaos, a prominent bass line anchors the composition, adding welcome weight to the relentless barrage of riffs and drums. ÄXE weave together speed metal urgency, thrash aggression, and heavier death metal influences with confidence, even if the transitions between these ideas occasionally feel abrupt. Rather than diminishing the song, those rough edges reinforce its uncompromising underground character, making 'Distortion to Hell' one of the demo's most ferocious offerings. 

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Closing the demo is 'Rise from Your Tombs', a track that encapsulates everything ÄXE have built over the preceding songs. An eerie, indistinct soundscape lingers in the opening moments before giving way to the band's trademark sinister laughter, vicious screams, and relentless instrumental assault. The drumming drives the composition with unwavering intensity, while the razor-edged guitar work balances speed with controlled aggression. Vocally, the black metal influence is impossible to ignore, yet the band's foundation remains firmly rooted in the spirit of classic black/speed metal. Traces of RAZOR, IRON ANGEL, and VULCANO echo through the riffing, while occasional death metal flourishes add further weight without disrupting the song's momentum. It is a fitting finale that reinforces ÄXE'S old-school identity and closes Autogeddon with one last uncompromising burst of energy.

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Score 8/10

Reviewed by SWAMPY

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