Deeper Than That "The Threat That Comes From Within" CD
[Liberation]
Initially I was worried that this Brazilian metalcore act that features members of Children of Gaia and Unfaced would be just another melodic Swedish styled act, as that style is definitely the dominant element here, but thankfully the overall quality of the release overcomes its relatively unoriginal approach. So, yeah, the vocals are mainly vicious shouts/yells, while the music blends standard alternate picking riffs and dual guitar harmonies with average tremolo picking runs and a chunkier brand of 90's styled European metalcore not unlike Children of Gaia and other such Brazilian metalcore bands. But some of the dissonant melodic layering as heard in tracks like "...Dying to Live" is what really makes the difference here, as the energy and intensity shoot forward immediately and help the songwriting to rise above being that of just another typical Swedish copycat band. In fact, some of these types of riffs would lead me to believe, along with certain aspects of the lyrics and song titles, that these guys might be drawing some influence from Shai Hulud and that kind of thing as well. Meanwhile, "A Moment of Happiness for a Life of Suffering" opens with some clean guitars and ambient swells and later brings in some singing styled vocals near the end of the track, but honestly this approach sounds pretty strained, and he's barely "singing", so... I think they'd be better off sticking with the screaming. The spoken passage over the acoustic/lead break and the way things build into a yelled form of singing is actually much more effective however, so maybe he just needs more practice? "The Fate of the Earth's Prodigal Son" is more caustic and rhythmic right from the start, focusing around more involved dual guitar layering and dissonant combinations that stay relatively free from any Swedish trappings, and that's where the band ought to be heading, because they simply don't need to rely so heavily on such a typical playing style - this song absolutely proves that. The singing returns to a slightly more effective degree in closer "Forgetting What Was Once Forgiven" with some of the most powerful Scandinavian styled guitar work on the entire disc, not to mention a fucking gorgeous acoustic break and some really powerful midpaced metal runs that have a darker side. The recording is actually pretty damn good. Everything is nice and loud, and the mix seems to be well balanced. It needs a little bit of polishing up to get a dash more clarity into the mix, but overall this is actually the most professional recording that I think I've heard coming from the Brazilian metalcore scene, so the band should really be proud of their achievements there. Like some of their contemporaries in Brazil a bit of the faster picking patterns get too choppy, so there are a couple of minor performance issues that the band should iron out prior to their next album, but that's not a big deal. And the packaging looks fucking awesome here. The jewel case is housed in a slip sleeve that boasts entirely different artwork from the booklet, which uses lots of dirty textures over dark figurative silhouettes and photographs for a really consistent look. The lyrics are in English with a separate little booklet included for Portuguese translations, and the content is less socio-political than a lot of Brazilian bands out there. One or two songs hint at messages dealing with the environment and animal rights, but a lot of the material is more personal and such: "How many legs would be required to cross all these trails that are laid upon me? To make a choice is to carry a burden that will accompany me until my last sigh..." Well executed overall. I would highly encourage the band to start to abandon more of the melodic Swedish trappings as they continue since that approach is extremely generic these days and their true strengths rest elsewhere, but... regardless, they're good at what they do and this is a promising debut that will hopefully garner the band some attention from outside of their home country. Good work. (7/10)
Running time - 30:40, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: ...Dying to Live, The Fate of the Earth's Prodigal Son, Forgetting What Was Once Forgiven]
Liberation Records - http://www.xliberationx.com

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