Detente-History 1

Cognitive Records/MVD
2008

This disc contains the original four-song demo from Detente plus the demo from the post-Detente band Catalepsy. The original Detente four-song demo was recorded in 1985 and it's very much in the thrash genre of the time yet it's also different as well. So many early thrash bands of the times just went and blasted forward with their music, but there is a bit more of a sense of control even on this demo. They would build up parts and then use blasts of thrash as needed to add to the texture of the whole sound. Vocalist Dawn Crosby had those searing vocals that could make your hair stand on end and immediately draw your focus in to her. Catalepsy featured the Detente songwriting duo of Steve Hochheiser and Ross Robinson as well as Machine Head's Dave McClain on drums. Some critics hailed Catalepsy as one of the first progressive thrash Bands and as the natural evolution of Detente. The sound from Catalepsy is indeed not terribly far removed from Detente although they definitely take more risks and stretch things out a bit. Catalepsy are somewhat more refined and it works on slightly different levels. The song quality is good enough, but a little fuzzy and low in parts on all of the songs. The insert is very brief with a family tree type of thing telling where each member came from and where they went. Since a version of this band is still around I was actually hoping for some more notes or information on these recordings because the description from the label has more than the booklet does. Still a decent collection of demos from two related and slightly overlooked bands.