The internet is indeed a fine medium. It gives even small bands the chance to draw attention to themselves and get a little piece of the big music star pie. This fact is well known and brings both advantages and disadvantages. As a result, both completely mediocre bands, which would have been better off put to sleep before the release of their first record, and true gems in the eternal sea of musicians manage to achieve a certain level of recognition. Fortunately, the guys from "Sunlun" represent a positive achievement. Hooray!
Although I have (as often) no idea what the band name means, one thing I do know: The band does not shy away from impressively showcasing their potential already on their demo.
The guys really bring it: The demo has surprisingly good quality, but still manages to score with a certain "rehearsal room" flair, which I personally always appreciate. This creates a balance between "Acceptably Qualitative" and "Not Completely Polished" that is worth listening to. I can therefore confidently set aside my ear protection and look forward to a few great minutes. Keeping this in mind, one can expect a few fast-paced and powerful songs that do not need to hide from other bands in this genre. Particularly pleasing is that almost every song contains a unique part that breathes a little "character" into the song, thus giving it a certain recognizability. During the songs, I often forgot which one it was (one must say that the songs have a few similarities), but when I heard – to give an example – the little solo at the end of the song "Cloud Machine", it was immediately clear again which record was on the turntable. Be it a very successful vocal passage or a seemingly inconspicuous guitar solo: Character shines through. And that means more in today's world of the internet than one might think.
Furthermore, "Sunlun" presents themselves as a solid band: The instruments may not necessarily reach the musical Olympus, but they still have a good sound and know how to create an atmospheric pull. This is not only due to the powerful soundscape that blasts uncompromisingly from the speakers, but also to the vocals. The slightly raspy and positively rough voice creates a great atmosphere and deserves special attention in the Spanish – at least I think they are supposed to be Spanish – songs ("Son hechos, no palabras" and "El mensaje"). A second vocalist joins in, complementing the first nicely. Personally, I have a flair for other languages in songs, so I hope that this diversity (and here it clearly also means "strength") will be utilized in the future. This way, one can quickly make a name for themselves and stand out a bit from the English uniformity.
Unfortunately, the whole fun lasts (at most) just 10 minutes, which is not too significant considering it's a demo. What might also upset some listeners is the not very powerful vocals. For my part, I have no problem with that, but those who have been spoiled by bands like "Madball" or "Hatebreed" might be disappointed by the vocals. In my opinion, however, this is not so bad in this case; on the contrary: It’s nice to be presented with something a little different. Variety is – like in a stagnant, 50-year marriage – key.
Otherwise, there is actually relatively little to complain about. It’s just a pity that I don’t have the lyrics, because unfortunately I don’t understand a single word vocally. That’s not really a big deal, but those who fetishize understanding will come away empty-handed.
In conclusion, there is one thing to say: Keep going! Maintain the melody, the hardness, the character, and your foreign language! While there is no superstar fare that reinvents the wheel and incorporates a clock, you get solid and qualitatively good hardcore that carries a lot of potential.
I would like to award points on the (hopefully) following album, but the trend is consistently positive and settles between 7 and 8.
