Narcissus is one of those metalcore bands that combines the abrasive and partially chaotic with the melodic. So this disc is full of everything from mildly noisy or experimental post-hardcore guitar textures to typical hammer-on/pull-off riffs or stuttered rhythmic chord progressions and thick clean passages underneath various effects. The vocals are a mix of screaming and singing, with the focus being on the singing, but there's a big absence of vocal harmonies. I think vocal harmonies would really add to the music. Vocal layering in general would spice things up. My chief complaint with this record is that it's almost painfully boring, not to mention entirely too long. No one needs to sit through over an hour of this in one piece, and few of the songs truly stand out to me. There's rarely a sense of energy, the riffs don't feel memorable, the singing and melody isn't particularly catchy, their arrangements are fluid but still seem to lack direction and movement, etc. I don't know... some of the songs are more on the aggressive metallic side, some are more on the emo side, and some are an even mix of their influences... which sounds like it should work, but it's not all that effective for some reason. I think it all comes down to writing, because the performances are fine, the sound is fine, but I don't really feel anything listening to this. The recording is excellent, I'll give 'em that much. The rhythm section sounds really good (I like the crisp warmth of the drums, which really accents the performance), the guitars are thick and clear, the vocals are mixed right in with the music, etc. I'd like to hear more low-end with the definition of the bass tone because I think that would give the bass more power and thicken up the core of the mix, but it still sounds really good. The layout's also nice. The color scheme is cool, the imagery is interesting, the photography is really well done, the text is clean and consistent... it just looks pretty damn slick. The lyrics are a non-issue for me since I don't enjoy them but they don't really rub me the wrong way either. "Words carry their weight into a room of gutless tongues, Waiting to disagree and prove this cause, Doesn't it make your senses seem backwards, Dying on the other side. I admire your ability to be so bitter and faceless..." I'm not picking it up so much in their lyrics, but each band member goes to painstaking lengths to thank God and/or Jesus in one form or another (sue me, that gets on my nerves), so... do the math. I had higher hopes for this, I must say. Everything about the record is really professional and points to better things than the music delivers. I'm stunned at how boring this is. I can't figure it out... I really can't. Maybe next time?
[Abacus]
Running time - 61:06, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: "Rush", The Recovery]
Abacus Recordings - http://www.abacusrecordings.com
