"Democracy" is the debut full-length studio album by US, South Carolina metal act The Deboning Method. The album was independently released in 1993. It´s probably not a band or a release which many people have heard of, but if you look at the lineup you´ll notice that a certain Derek Roddy is credited for playing the drums. The Deboning Method formed in 1988 and it´s Roddy´s first band. Roddy subsequently went on to play with artists like Malevolent Creation, Aurora Borealis, Blotted Science, Council of the Fallen, and Hate Eternal (among others). Roddy also auditioned for and was in the run for being the new Dream Theater drummer when Mike Portnoy left in 2011 (a spot which ultimately went to Mike Mangini).
...in other words The Deboning Method is graced with one of the top drummers on the scene and not surprisingly the drumming on "Democracy" is one of the great assets of the album. Stylistically the material on the 11 tracks, 55:26 minutes long album is an aggressive type of thrash metal with both death metal and hardcore elemnts. It´s both fast-paced and crushingly heavy and groove laden, so this is not old school 80s influenced thrash metal, but rather a heavier and more brutal version. Artists like Solstice and Ripping Corpse are valid references. Lead vocalist Jason Skipper sounds pissed and his delivery is commanding and fierce. There´s a savage, brutal, and almost hysterical edge to his singing style, which is highly effectful. You´re never in doubt that he means business.
The sound production values are overall effective and the music sounds powerful, heavy, and meaty, but sometimes it´s sounds like the tracks were recorded at different studios, which is slightly distracting and not a plus in my book. When listening to an album you want to get a feeling of cohesion. The Deboning Method are successful in achieving that with the consistency of the materal, but the slight drop in sound production values on a few tracks just sounds a bit amaturish.
When that is said "Democracy" is still a high quality brutal thrash metal release from The Deboning Method. Although at this moment "Democracy" is the band´s only full-length studio album, it´s interesting to note that The Deboning Method never disbanded. They have just been inactive for many years, but they have sporadically re-appeared, and they have also recorded and released a couple of minor releases in the 2010s (mainly re-recordings of early releases). "Democracy" may not be a high profile release, but for fans of brutal thrash metal it´s a recommended listen and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
