Welcome to Demo:listen, your weekly peek into the future of underground metal. Whether it’s death, grind, black, doom, sludge, heavy, progressive, stoner, retro, post-, etc. we’re here to bring you the latest demos from the newest bands. On this week’s Demo:listen, we attempt to interpret some strange transmissions from Norway’s latest anomaly, Recitations.

Recitations

Hidden somewhere in Trondheim, Recitations possess that rare sound that’s both unique and elusively familiar. Like when you wake up with a song already stuck in your head. Except the song is one Recitations’ far out Swarþ-y black metal numbers. At first listen, The First of the Listeners is an intoxicating admixture, but naming its separate influences does little to dispel its allure. Or its unpredictability. Or that certain . . . WTF.

<a href="http://recitations.bandcamp.com/album/the-first-of-the-listeners">The First of the Listeners by Recitations</a>

Recitations’ sound is a lot like the above collage that’s apparently its cover. After some time–which time you will be glad to give over–you can begin to discern the individual parts that comprise The First of the Listeners. Oh, that’s some Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice riffage right there. Oh, that’s a chimpanzee face around the eyes. And while it makes sense that members of Katechon are rumored to be involved, Recitations’ virtually unhyped debut is more than just the sum of its total parts.

<a href="http://recitations.bandcamp.com/album/the-first-of-the-listeners">The First of the Listeners by Recitations</a>

The third track being the obligatory sore thumb is called “Godspeak Halilu Lijah,” and it’s going to space you out at first, but when you learn what it’s up to it’ll blow your mind. Then the final song “To Voice the Unutterable” starts off like Aluk Todolo then, in a short time compared to the other tracks, it drills a hole through the ground and comes blasting up out of the Southern Ocean and out into space on the sun-gilded wings of a steel string acoustic. Call ‘em frills, bells and whistles, whatever you may if you’re a real stickler for straight forward metal, but Recitations have crafted something truly out-of-time and -space. Yet for all it’s weirdness, TFotL will stay with you eveb when you’re not obsessively listening to it.

<a href="http://recitations.bandcamp.com/album/the-first-of-the-listeners">The First of the Listeners by Recitations</a>

Now I understand that The First of the Listeners may scare you. You’re going to fall in love with this demo and come to fear that Recitations could make more music that may possibly let you down. But don’t every worry about that right now because here, in the concrete present, right in front of you, is a demo worthy of your love and devotion and that’s all that matters. Get to know The First of the Listeners. Don’t worry about when comes the gatefold double LP. Don’t worry about what they may or may not do next. Just jam these four tracks. Let them grow inside of you.

The First of the Listeners is for the time available only digitally on Recitations’ Bandcamp. Eventually a label will come along and put it out on multiple physical formats, but it’s truly at its best right now. Just four alien transmissions posted on the internet. Here’s hoping they’ll at least keep the cover art and the logo.

Remember, you heard ’em here first at Demo:listen. Check this spot next and every Friday for more promising new extreme metal bands!