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Sweden's Carnal Agony is nothing if not persistent. I mean that as a compliment as very few bands ever make a name in Heavy Metal by waiting for things to happen. I reviewed their first demo in February of 2013, a rather unimpressive DIY effort, as well as their second demo, a much improved affair, in August, 2013. These guys are obviously serious about this thing called Heavy Metal as, barely a year later, they are back with demo #3, Rebellion. This latest offering sees Carnal Agony further improving and refining both their sound and their songwriting. As I said about demo #2, when the songs reminded me of a bar fight between Iron Maiden and Metallica, Rebellion finds Carnal Agony fleshing out those influences even further. "Rebellion" is like classic Iron Maiden; it opens with a bass melody over which a slow lead run is played before the tempo picks up and the bass starts to gallop full speed. The closer, "The War Prayer," is much more in line with Metallica or, more accurately, Testament. The riffs are chunky and thick and when the tempo really winds up, you'll be looking for the nearest pit to wade in to. According to their bio, the gents in Carnal Agony love all kinds of Metal and track two, "Secrets Within the Shrine," leans toward Death Metal; slow and heavy yet melodic and with harsh vocals, this song has the least engaging music but the best lyrics, which are Lovecraftian in nature.

For Carnal Agony, there's still work to be done. The vocals are not bad but are limited and can be monotonous while the songwriting is still a bit derivative. Yet Rebellion is miles better than Carnal Agony's first demo and it is plainly obvious that band is working hard at improving their skills. It may not be very distinctive but there is some damn good Heavy Metal here. This band has come a long way in a year and that bodes well for Carnal Agony.