One of the things I find most remarkable about metal is the fact that, despite its obscurity in the popular eye, it extends its tendrils everywhere. Most places you look, you can find at least one group performing some kind of metal. Granted, no one ever said it has to be good: a good portion of the banter on certain metal forums is occupied with deriding the seemingly endless hordes of one-man bedroom black-metal acts, their music recorded on a three dollar tape-recorder.

While Kay Pacha falls into the black metal category, they avoid the bedroom categorization, featuring a full four-piece lineup. They released their first demo, Ayllu Wanka, in 2006; since then, they’ve rereleased their demo as a split, and put out another demo. The title refers to the Wanka (or Huanca, depending on whom you ask) people of Peru, the native culture of the land from whence the band hails. However, this is anything but a pagan metal band. The music is raw, dirty, and unadorned, devoid of anything remotely symphonic.

Of the major black metal groups, the most obvious comparison is to Darkthrone, though the music here is generally faster, less melodic and perhaps a touch thrashier. The group plays around with tempo more than one would expect from an outfit like this; “Altar de Sacrificios” features a few noticeable tempo shifts throughout the song, which I appreciate. The riffs are simple and repetitive, with a few for each song. While not strictly bad, they’re also forgettable—nothing really tends to stand out, and the guitar tends to fade into the background after a while. Vocals vary between a low death metal growl and a more typical black metal shriek. They’re not the best I’ve heard, but they’re passable. The same goes for the drumming, which changes things up beyond standard blast beats but never strays too far into experimental territory. Production is surprisingly good for an obscure demo, featuring an audible bass.

The demo clocks in at about twenty minutes, which is about what one would expect. On the whole, the music is decent, but not spectacular. It’s less that the demo does anything particularly wrong; it just doesn’t do things well enough. When I actually listen closely, I find that the band strays farther from convention than I want to give them credit for, but ultimately, they don’t go far enough to become truly distinctive and the songs blend together too much. There’s some potential here, and if you run into it, you might enjoy it. Just don’t go in expecting something incredible.