Melodic Death Metal – Page 29

Settima Draconis – Legio (Review)

Settima Draconis are from Germany and play Melodic Death Metal.

Legio has a good sound that allows the band to show off their works.

This is Melodic Death Metal with a Gothic influence and heavily accompanied by violins and strings. These Classical elements are not overdone though and add the right amount of atmosphere and culture to the heavier guitars and snarling vocals.

For a crude reference point, think Dark Tranquillity combined with the music of Therion and a more free-form method of songwriting, particularly in the drum department. Only a crude reference point, as I say, but it gives the right kind of idea.

While this is bound to be somewhat of an acquired taste, (but what isn’t though, really?), it’s worth checking out if you want Gothic Metal with colour and unusual quirks to the songs. While it can seem a little incoherent at times it shows a band trying to do something a little different and this should be encouraged.

Have a listen and see what you think.

Grey Skies Fallen – The Many Sides of Truth (Review)

Grey Skies Fallen are from the US, and this is their fourth album of Progressive Metal.

The band combine a form of Anathema relaxi-prog and a Melodic Death Metal influence with sharp, rasped vocals and heroic cleans. On paper it looks a bit incongruous but in practice it works surprisingly well.

It’s a tribute to the talent of the band that they can combine the soft introspective nature with the heavier Metal parts of the songs and have it sound cohesive and complete.

Elements of Nevermore and Septic Flesh clash with the aforementioned Anathema influence, add to that a bit of Doom and Melodic Prog…basically they have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies and are talented enough to pull it off.

Subtle keyboards accompany the sometimes epic riffs to create a larger than life atmosphere that also manages to stay compact and manageable as the band flex their musical muscles.

The songs are well composed and have a real feeling of grandeur to them. The music is very operatic in scope and ambition, which means it’s a very satisfying listen.

Grey Skies Fallen have produced an album that demands closer inspection. Check them out and hear what they have to offer. You won’t regret it.

Interview with Enfeeble

Enfeeble have released their album Encapsulate This Moment upon the world and it’s a varied and enjoyable collection of Metal. I asked the guys all about it…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Luke: Hi, we are ENFEEBLE from north Germany. Four guys with heart and instrument.

We write and perform music that we love ourselves. Maybe you will love it too – check it out. Quick said – that’s it.

How did you form?

Baal: It was a few years ago in 2005… Luke was the singer of the school band and I was looking for a singer & guitarist for a new band. I asked Luke if he wants to start a band with me and he was excited directly. A drummer and bassist were found quickly and so we started as a small Punk Rock Band. In the coming years we’ve had many changes on Bass & Drums. Since the beginning of 2013 we are in the current cast.

What are your influences?

Luke: Encapsulate This Moment is a collection of songs that we’ve written in the past 4 years.

We have continuously developed and always had new demands on ourselves, so there are a lot of influences like Punk Rock, Metalcore, Death Metal and Prog.

What are you listening to at the moment that you want to recommend?

Klaus: Make Me A Donut
Chris: Carnifex
Baal: Protest The Hero
Luke: Periphery

You have an interesting and varied style – how did the songs come about?

Baal: In a few songs it’s just putting some riffs together. But mostly it’s when I have something in my mind I work it out and spending hours and hours to write it down, ’cause when I start do write a song and have a long break it becomes a puzzle of riffs and that’s how I ruin most of the songs. I am quite severe with myself in this way. Of 10 songs I write, 2 or 3 make it to the band and maybe they like it or even just a part…or nothing. Then we work on the subtleties together and Lucas tries to find the best way to combine it with vocals.

You have a lot of vocal variety on your album – was this a conscious decision?

Luke: Yes. I want to have a lot of variety in the vocals because you can express so much more feelings with a mixed vocal style than just with screaming or growling. Every song tells a story and the individual parts should be supported with matching vocals. Also I grew up with singing so I am always inclined to get everything possible out of the vocals. Everything else would be a waste.

Are you happy with how the album resulted?

Chris: No, not really. There are many parts that we could have done better on this album.

But as the saying goes: If we were already happy with this album, we would thwart our progression.

How do you see your sound developing in the future?

Klaus: There will be more riffs and demanding vocals. With Chris as our new drummer the new songs are getting faster and stronger. A beautiful experience that we will continue to expand.

What does the future hold for Enfeeble?

Luke: We are currently working on new songs for another album early next year. We will try to play a lot of concerts this year in order to spread our music. That is part of the plan to increase our fan base. Perhaps we will come to your country. We will always announce the dates on our website http://www.enfeeble.de

Thanks!

Terminal Prospect – Redefine Existence (Review)

Time for a bit of Swedish Melodic Death Metal in the form of Terminal Prospect and their second album Redefine Existence.

At 11 tracks in 34 minutes, most of the songs are quite short and to the point. This is from the same school of Metal as The Haunted, early In Flames, Darkane, At The Gates, etc. and it’s better than you probably imagine.

The album starts with the high-pitched screams of the singer, whose vocals appear to be designed to scratch at the brain while the music batters your chest. He screams and shrieks his way through the songs in an effective manner, and it works particularly well when he locks into a rhythm with the guitars and they work together as one.

The songs are streamlined and full of melodic flourish, while still keeping the Thrash feel of the riffs alive and well. There are some nice guitar parts and the band have a vibrant feeling to a lot of the riffs. This vibrant feeling is important; it would be easy for a band like this to have tired-sounding guitars. Although it’s exceptionally hard for any group to have completely unique riffs, melodies etc., and Terminal Prospect don’t fall into this category, (as most bands don’t); at least they still sound young, fresh and full of life. There is no going-through-the-motions here, it’s all done for the love of Metal.

A quality album that is easy to digest and leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth. Recommended.

Enfeeble – Encapsulate This Moment (Review)

Enfeeble are from Germany and play Melodic Metal mixed with a more modern Metalcore style and a good helping of Heavy Metal.

The first thing I notice is how varied the vocals are; there are high shrieks, hardcore-style chanting, deeper shouts, grunts and clean singing.

The music is proficiently played, with the guitarist clearly knowing his way around the fretboard. There are lots of slick riffs and Melodic Metalcore standards in place, as well as mixing in more of a Classic Metal approach on some songs, (Flashedever, for example), although in typical Enfeeble fashion they mix this up with some modern heaviosity.

I enjoy how the songs are written. They mainly use elements of modern Metal, Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore, genres which have high-transferability, but you are never quite sure which bit of which of the genres they are going to ransack for the next part of the song. It’s a fun journey of discovery, but once you do know what’s coming next you are thankfully still left with something of substance as the tracks are enjoyable riff-alongs in their own right.

This is essentially a band that values variety a bit more than the average one-genre group, and by-and-large they manage to pull this off with flair and remain coherent.

An enjoyable release that combines a few different permutations of modern Metal to create an enjoyable album that may Encapsulate This Moment but also pays fealty to the past. Have a listen.

Craving – At Dawn (Review)

Craving are from Germany and play lengthy Death Metal with Folk and Black Metal influences.

This is their second album and Craving are really coming into their own. Combining brutality, melody and Folk harmonies the band have produced 66 minutes of music that transport the listener back in time and away from the hum drum pace of normal life.

There is a medieval vibe permeating the songs, although this is juxtaposed against the heavier more brutal Death Metal parts. Sort of like a more aggressive Amon Amarth mixed with Korpiklaani or Finntroll.

Each of the long songs is a combination of the aforementioned styles, and across the album we get a bit of everything; Melodic Death Metal, Folk Metal, some Black Metal riffs…it creates an enticing package and manages to stay interesting for the entire running length.

The songs are memorable and the band effortlessly play both brutal and melodic parts with abandon. The ease in which they can transition from heavy, blasting sections into melodic, atmospheric moods is a pleasure to behold.

The vocals are mainly guttural Death Metal vocals, although on occasion Black Metal screams punctuate the blasting. On top of this there are also Folky cleans, some of which are rousing, heroic and quite epic in nature.

This is a Melodic Death Metal album that manages to embrace its Folk side without sacrificing its teeth, and for that reason alone is worthy of being listened to. Add to that the fact that it’s a very enjoyable album that stirs the Metal heart…well we have a keeper here.

Sound of Memories – Living Circles (Review)

This is the début EP from French Melodic Death Metal band Sound of Memories.

This is a well recorded, well written début that takes its cues from bands such as In Flames and Withering Surface.

Upon listening to the first track Cyborg From Dust I must confess that for some reason I wasn’t expecting clean vocals to make an appearance, (not sure why), but when they do they’re done surprisingly well and actually enhance the song; especially as they’re only used the once. For the rest of the time the vocals alternate largely between screams and grunts, both of which are done effectively.

For such a relatively young band the professionalism of this release is impressive. Not only do they have a crystal clear sound where the instruments sound vibrant and sharp, but they have plenty of ideas and talent with the skills and musicianship to pull them off. Even the bass gets to shine.

This is hugely enjoyable, reminiscent of the 90’s/00’s when this kind of music was very in vogue. In this respect Sound of Memories is a very apt name as it certainly takes me back. Having said that however the sound is thoroughly up-to-date and the band clearly have ambitions bigger than living in the past.

A very impressive début release. Hopefully the first of many.

Your Last Wish – Desolation (Review)

Canadian band Your Last Wish play Melodic Death Metal.

After the usual perfunctory opening, first track proper Crisis To Creation opens with a much more impressive dual display of melodics slipping into heavy chugs, repeating over and over until the appetite is well and truly whetted.

Their brand of Melodic Death Metal is fast and sharp, which matches the high-pitched screams of the vocalist who has a rasp to challenge the best of them, although she also does deeper vocals when required.

A starting reference point for this album would be someone like At The Gates or early In Flames. These are only as reference points though as Your Last Wish are not merely wishing to repeat past glories of the masters. They have something of their own to offer.

The riffs are enjoyable and substantial and the crisp, professional sound makes the most of them. Well played solos pour out of the tracks, the vocals are scathing and the drummer provides a backdrop to the carnage.

This is the kind of Melodic Death Metal that they rarely make any more. There is no pretension or leanings of commerciality; no clean harmonies of radio-friendly compromises. This is Metal through and through, and I for one can’t help but like this very talented band.

Give them a listen and give them your support.

A Breach of Silence – Dead or Alive (Review)

This is the début release from Australian band A Breach of Silence.

The band play a nice line in modern Melodic Death Metal combined with the huge sweeping chorus-style Metalcore that bands like Killswitch Engage popularised.

The singer has a very good voice; his growls are deep and enthusiastic and the clean vocals are passionate and a bit different from the usual of this type as they incorporate a little bit of Power Metal into their delivery, giving them a bit more of an edge.

The music has plenty of bite and aggression with the band playing their hearts out and preforming with gusto. Although they do have breakdowns and whatnot, they don’t completely abuse and over-use them as a lot of these kind of bands have a tendency to do; they seem to have struck the right balance. The songs are largely both heavy and catchy.

Ultimately this does fall into the more commercial end of the Metal spectrum, and won’t be to everyone’s taste. I haven’t listened to a new band of this style for some time and I think A Breach of Silence are very good at what they do. If you’re a fan of heavy modern Metal and don’t object to more commercial melodic clean choruses then check them out.

Frozen Hell – Rise! (Review)

Italian band Frozen Hell play Melodic Death Metal and this is their first release.

This EP is of the Gothenburg, early In Flames-style of Melodic Death Metal and the band play tribute to this era with six tracks of Old-School melodicism.

The vocals have some bite and are performed well, with deeper and not so deep raspings and growls; it’s good.

Recording-wise the vocals and drums have really nice organic sound to them that’s very pleasing to the ear. The guitars and bass however sound slightly muted and could really do with some extra punch to bring them to life.

Also included as a seventh track is an Amon Amarth cover The Pursuit of Death, which is a medley combining The Pursuit of Vikings and Death in Fire.

Not too bad for a début release; if they can come back with a full album with a better production and a bit more refined songsmithing then they could be on to something.