A very different type of heavy is coming from St. Stephen. Sprat's demo, Five Songs, definitely sets them apart from what is happening in the rest of the province.

Not that one influence isn't obvious when listening to the demo. The sound of Tool marks the entire recording, especially the guitar work and arranging.

That being said, Sprat does not steal from the Tool library. In fact, it is clear from two tunes, "Cold Dependent" and "A Goodnight's Scrape" that the band is starting to forge a sound of its own, one that takes the intensity of Tool and combines it with a classic heavy sound.

While far from a polished recording, it is fairly listenable. It does have to be played fairly loud, but the mix is good and the band sounds tight. Overall, Five Songs is an impressive debut for Sprat. Expect to hear more from this promising band.

Not too bad of sound quality considering it's DIY. The first song "Shame and a Passenger" reminds me of older Tool circa Opiate. Not as complex or as talented but just as good. There are a lot of different parts to each song, which is always a good thing. There are even a couple of live songs on here. I guess my only complaint is that vocalist Joe Beck seems to stick in the background too much. A great vocalist will capture the listener and I think he needs to work on that a bit. But other than that, you can't complain about anything else. Definitely a good demo and well worth it.