Here's a split CD EP of (mostly) cover songs - metalcore takes on 80's rock/metal. Despite the fact that A Thousand Falling Skies is listed first all over the package, Nientara begins with three covers done in their style, which seems to be fairly typical but slightly better than average melodic Swedish styled stuff. "Separate Ways" (Journey) is up first, and I fucking love Journey, this being my personal favorite Journey song of all time. So of course their version isn't half as powerful as the original, but they do a good job of staying true to the original while still taking some liberties with it. I could do without all of the tremolo picking, but thankfully they give that a rest when they have to. Next is "Crazy Train" (Ozzy), and it's not as good in my opinion. I don't know what the hell they're doing instead of Ozzy's token "Aiee, aiee, aiee (echo...)" at the beginning, and the guitar harmonies and note choices for the chords just sound wrong. The solo is pretty fucking sweet, though. I'm shocked that they pulled that one off so well. Closing it up is "Rock You Like a Hurricane" (the Scorpions), which, despite its resurgence of tremolo picking, is pretty nicely handled. It's a simple song, it's pretty hard to mess up. The joke-y sounding high-pitched singing vocals that cut in during the chorus do come close, though. I don't want to get the impression that "hardcore" kids playing metal like to laugh at metal, because that shit will make me think less of your band very fucking quickly. The production is okay, but needs work. The scathing vocal screams are mixed way too loud, and the guitar tone is too thin. The drums and bass have a lot of low-end, but the guitars sound dirtier than they do heavy. That helps as far as clarity goes, but it leaves gaps in the mix and lacks the punch that it needs. A Thousand Falling Skies' style seems not unlike that of Nientara, and they kick out an additional three covers as well as an original track. First is an obligatory Iron Maiden track, "Wasted Years", and they do a great job of shifting the song into their realm without making it the least bit unrecognizable. Slick solos, too. A little sloppy, but it's nice to hear the solos for sure. "Breaking the Law" (Judas Priest) is next, and also sounds pretty damn good. They mass amounts of tremolo picking actually work, and they take this one even farther from its original form, which I think is cool. "Wanted Dead or Alive" (Bon Jovi) is running third, and proves that these guys have a much more rockin' sense of performing, and that energy is what makes their three covers so much better than their companions. "Severed Hope & Broken Dreams" is the original track that closes out. It's not bad. Typical melodic Swedish metalcore for the most part, but aside from a thin sound with overly rigid drums the songwriting is better than most of these bands. The production on the covers is a bit louder and more well rounded than Nientara's. The bass could be a bit more prominent, but the mix is otherwise strong. I'd clean up a few of the tones here and there, but I can deal with it. Not bad. The layout's alright. Simple, but alright. I like the colors and textures, and the fonts look fine, but for some reason the high contrast imagery on the front cover is very pixilated, which sort of ruins the consistency, but not if you're just glancing at it. The back of the insert just includes band information and the legal junk about all the cover songs, no lyrics or anything, which makes sense. A Thousand Falling Skies definitely takes this one. Nietara makes a good effort, but they fall short. This is a cool idea for a split, though. I think it could have been handled slightly better in some respects, but I like the idea, and A Thousand Falling Skies proves that it can be pulled off.
[Protocol]
Running time - 29:41, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Separate Ways, Wasted Years, Breaking the Law]
Protocol Records - http://www.protocolrecordings.com
