Dom The Sleaze - Cellar Demo​(​n​)s

Dom The Sleaze

Cellar Demo​(​n​)s
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

It’s hard not to like someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously. I'm getting that vibe from Dom The Sleaze. First there's his name; second when you refer to his Bandcamp page it says “five very bad recorded songs for your Pleasure” and he also mentions that he is a guy from Italy, currently with a guitar, a rusty bass, a drum machine and a series of toys that allow him to record demos.

On his recent five-song EP entitled Cellar Demo​(​n​)s his unpretentious ego produces songs that feel immediate and honest, which make it easy to embrace. Dom The Sleaze mentions that his influences are varied but can be summarized by classic rock like Neil Young and independent music of the ‘80s and ‘90s. As I was listening to the EP I heard shades of Guided By Voices, Early Primal Scream and even a pinch of My Bloody Valentine. This music lies somewhere between rock and shoegaze. 

The EP opens with “Sliding Mirrors,” which is straightforward rock. Dom The Sleaze combines distorted guitars, bass and drums while singing a solid vocal melody. The song serves as a good intro but it wasn’t the strongest in the batch. I thought the second song “My Static Course” was a highlight as he finds a distorted guitar tone that reminded me of My Bloody Valentine. I’m serious - he gets pretty close. On top of that there are a couple of exceptional guitar parts and his vocals were produced in classic shoegaze style as they laid low in the mix with tons of reverb. 

“Wavering Times” combines lots of distortion as the bass climbs up a scale while the closer “Apatis” serves up another solid dose of shoe gaze. 


Cellar Demo​(​n​)​s is an EP that's meant to be listened to at an increased decibel level. The layers of white noise that bleed with the reverb from his vocals sound best at loud volumes as if it is consuming you. Dom The Sleaze is exaggerating about the recording quality. It’s not great but it is not bad either. This is good stuff; take a listen.

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