Key factor in this band is that there are three girls in the line-up, one guitarist, one grunter and one bassist that also handles melodic vocals. Completing the line-up is a male drummer. The band formed in 2003 but changed in line-up quite frequently, eventually evolving into what they are now. Nephthys obviously aims at a melodramatic and melancholic sound in the vein of bands like My Dying Bride, Opeth and (more closer to home) Officium Triste.

 

With all demos it is hard to give a real opinion about the music, since it’s in its youngest stage. Yet one can hear that this is a good step in the right direction for these girls and guy, for the songs sound reasonably solid and there are even some parts that I really liked. My main problem lies with the length of the songs (too much repetitive stuff) and the quality of the vocals. The clean vocals sound a bit insecure and one-dimensional, yet they offer perspective for the future. The grunts sound different with every sound-system I play the demo at, yet this is also a one-dimensional sound that misses a lot of low frequencies, thus it misses out on a lot of impact.

 

For the rest this is certainly a nice demo to get started. Fans of melancholic and depressive metal might wanna keep an eye out Nephthys.