Holy Fire
Untitled release
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Here's a two-man/two-instrument project that truly classifies as a demo. This is like what a musician records in his basement to show a producer where he wants to go with his songs or whatever. Kendall Hafermehl plays the keyboards, which I'm guessing has a drum sound/drum machine programmed into it, and Michael Maughan plays guitar. Both guys sing. The songs are matted out and the direction is clear, but this setup does not substitute well for a full-band sound.
The first song, "Timebomb", is an instrumental that does well. "Baby's Song" is an acoustic ballad that sounds okay, because it stays within an instrumental framework that's suitable for the song. The other three songs express some good messages ("What Are We Doin"), but are hampered by two instruments trying to carry all the weight.