Siva – The Demo (3 Song)

Through a friend of a friend I recently caught wind of Siva, a relatively new female-fronted metal/rock band here in Oklahoma City. Whenever I hear about a metal band with a female vocalist my first thought is usually the same: is this a gimmick, or are these guys for real?

Turns out, Siva is for real — very real. In fact, Siva’s three-song demo (simply titled “The Demo”) contains three well-crafted songs that sound better than most of the demos I’ve heard this year, songs that could easily hold their own on the radio right now.

Siva’s heavy but not too heavy, falling well within the limits of rock radio stations. Musically the band could easily be grouped in with bands like Disturbed, Drowning Pool, Mudvayne and Evanescence. Within the confines of radio-friendly song lengths (hoving around the four-minute mark), the then-foursome/now-fivesome have managed to pack plenty of interesting hooks into each of the demo’s three songs. Each of the songs show comprehension of musical dynamics, building up before rocking out. As for the CD’s production … I don’t know what Siva paid for it, but it was worth it. The CD sounds fantastic; sonically it’s one of the best demo mixes I’ve ever ever heard.

Vocalist Bridgette Oliver is icing on the band’s cake. Her vocal style fits perfectly here, teasing listeners with her soft whispers and then attacking them with her full range. Through her clear vocals Oliver channels Evanescence’s Amy Lee, though those passages are broken up with flashes of screams and growls. The end result is a female vocalist that adds to instead of detracting from what the band is trying to accomplish.

Siva’s three-song demo sounds less like a demo and more like a sampler CD from an established act. These guys (and gal) rock and I can’t wait to hear more from them.

On the web:

Web: http://www.siva-addiction.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sivaaddiction

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