Slit "Cronaca Nera" CD
[self-released]
Dear Slit: Change your fucking band name right fucking now. Why, you ask? Let's be serious, fellas. Your band name is pretty retarded, and I'm sure I'm not the only who reads "Slit" and thinks "Vagina", right? I'm sure the intention was something more along the lines of "Slit Your Throat", but you really need to get out of here with that shit. Your music is actually quite fucking promising, but I have a damn hard time taking it seriously from a collective unit flying under the Slit banner, know what I mean? Now, as for what this sounds like, it's thrashy metal with some metalcore thrown around that, to me, sounds like a mix of Bloodlet (metalcore) and Exhorder (thrash - see "Sinner Beyond Defile" and "Paean" especially), so expect chugging rhythms, a hint of staccato grooviness, a little dissonance and melody, searing vocal screams, etc. There are a good number of tempo changes and assorted shifts in riffing throughout, and there is indeed cause to throw a little Lamb of God comparison into the blender as well. About midway through "Stone Cold, Shine" there's a weird break with spoken vocals and oddball guitar effects, and I'll lay it all on the table by saying that it sucks, so these guys need to cut that shit out and stick to what they do best, which is scream like hell and rip through moderately fast, pummeling thrash riffs. On rare occasion the groove factor takes 'em down a notch, but at their best this sort of kicks ass. The recording's not bad for what basically amounts to a demo of sorts, it works out fine and carries the songs well enough, but it needs work to do true justice to their songwriting. The drums are a bit rigid and lacking oomph, the guitar tone sometimes overloads on low-end and still has that biting sort of edge to it, the bass sort of gets lost in the shuffle, etc. It sounds good, but needs more cohesiveness and clarity to really smash you in the face. The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case with a professionally printed black and white insert. The design ain't that hot as they use too many typefaces and such, but at least the band photo and print quality are solid. I think this band needs to get signed by a decent sized metal label that will give them a good budget and get a full-length out there, because if they hone their craft they'll have every Exhorder fan shitting their pants with excitement. This is far better than I had anticipated. Now change that fucking band name... labels will probably pay more attention to you if you do. Please, I'm not kidding, I'm recommending this for your own good... (7/10)
Running time - 17:46, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Stone Cold, Shine, Paean]
Slit - http://www.slitnoise.com

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