Negate "Enemy" CD
[Goodlife]
This Belgian act throws down everything from melodic Swedish riffing, to classic European metalcore breaks, to straight death metal runs, to more traditional/thrash oriented rhythms. I had really sort of hoped that this would be a full-blown European metalcore monster in the vein of some of their fellow countrymen's work, but it's not bad. "Chapter VIII: Secret Alliance" even has what could be considered to be some black metal riffing involved, and "Chapter XI: Zombie" closes the disc with some great acoustic guitars that I'd like to hear explored more often. The main thing that bugs me is that the vocals range from sick, bitter screaming to whispering, and then some rather ineffective singing that isn't strong enough to add to the material. I don't know, the singing just feels forced and out of place, so it takes away from some otherwise great riffing. Were the vocalist able to hit the notes tighter or sing in a wider range it would be nice, but... As for the production, the mix is sort of muddy, allowing the tastefully rigid drums to pop out more than they should. The bass is nice and prominent, and the guitar tone is good, but something about the mix is off. The vocals feel too distant, and there's just not enough brightness or fullness to the guitars, which should be the central element. I'd turn up the guitars (adjusting the bass levels accordingly to stay audible) so that they're just above the drums, and the find a better home for the vocals that's louder than they are now, but not loud enough to jump too far out front. The layout's not bad, it's fairly dark with numerous little band photos and somewhat blurry text, which I like, and the textures/design are consistent throughout. I'm not really into the lyrics because they're choppy and succinct and honestly tend to make little sense: "I'm your good star, Pray god of evil, To give you an angel, Pray for redemption, As a lot of people, Vengeance, My war, my madness, Enter darkness, Blow their light away..." Ehhh. I don't know, the singing vocals really destroy this record for me. I don't know how I'd feel about it if they were to dump the singing, but I know I'd like it more than I do now, so... musically they've got a good sense for tempo changes and blending their influences seamlessly, but they need to work on the vocals for sure. (5/10)
Running time - 41:13, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Chapter VI: Belzebuth, Chapter VIII: Secret Alliance, Chapter XI: Zombie]
Goodlife Recordings - http://www.goodliferecordings.com

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