Right off the bat I'm gonna open up by saying that I feel bad giving this Swiss death/thrash band such a low rating, but I have to be sort of tough on this one, because despite some really promising thrash metal riffs that are right up my alley, this release is strewn with problems.? First things first the layout is absolutely terrible.? The band logo is really cheesy and the artwork is just a chaotic mishmash of inconsistent colors and crowded text that's simply not pleasing to look at.? The other, more important, setbacks are the performances and the recording.? The performances aren't awful, but there are definitely some timing falters and a lot of choppy guitar playing that isn't too convincing.? Admittedly some of that is the fault of the recording, though.? Despite a pretty fair mix that gives the plunky bass tone plenty of room, everything just sounds way too raw, almost like a clearer than average demo.? The vocals sound better than anything else, and the rhythm section is tolerable, but the guitar tone isn't forceful enough in the least.? The style of midgrade distortion they're using doesn't possess enough density or crunch, so a lot of times the palm-muting or more technical style of playing really lacks fluidity.? Writing-wise the band builds around a base of late-80's/early-90's thrash metal and throws in a few tremolo picking runs and slightly more technical death metal influences along with a melodic edge from traditional metal, offering clean passages and things of that nature to change up the dynamics on occasion.? When they stick to the thrash there are definitely some awesome riffs, and for the most part I think the vocal performance leans more towards classic thrash as well, which is rare.? But there's a little bit of a disjointed sense to the arrangements as well.? For instance, the tremolo picking riffs are usually terrible, and when they pull out runs like the bluesy leads and watery effects that open "Dreamscape" they totally lose me, especially when afterwards they shift into some weird melodic thrash and crossover riffing that's kind of cool.? A similar meandering takes place with the out of nowhere slap bass and shit in the instrumental "Borderline", which just makes no sense.? As a straight up thrash metal band I think these guys could really impress me, and while I can appreciate their attempts at branching out on some level, sometimes it's best to stick with what you do best, even if that's basically just the meat and potatoes of a tried and true style.? The programmed drums and feedback in "That Which Destroys" aren't so bad, but my problem there is that it kind of feels pasted in and serves little purpose - in essence amounting to the same problem with these other random spurts of outside influences.? There are a couple of other songs that jump from the potentially powerful to the quirkily annoying as well, so it's certainly a factor that plagues the release from beginning to end.? This was recorded two to three years ago and released in 2004, so maybe they've progressed since that time, but I don't know, they've gotta straighten out the sound quality if nothing else.? I imagine this material would come across as significantly more interesting and powerful if the recording were in order.? My vote still goes towards encouraging this band to drop the extra trimmings and stick with the thrash, though.
[self-released]
Running time - 34:54, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: there are some damn solid riffs, but no one song works in its entirety]
Eyes See Red - http://www.eyesseered.com
