Nice. I recently heard this Portuguese act's split CD with With Resistance and was interested in their work despite not being blown away or anything, and this full-length is a much stronger representation of their musical abilities. It's basically a blend of various emo and metalcore styles, with lots of really open melody that rarely sheds a heavy edge, as well as some melodic hardcore chords layered together for a little added energy. A lot of the quick arpeggiated riffing (of which there is a lot, and I love that stuff, I'm a huge sucker for it) reminds me of Turning Point, but these guys are definitely drawing from a vast range of influences. Some of the more upbeat rhythms border on a sound that I could almost argue is pop-punk, and there's definitely some straight emo, as well as some contemporary metalcore discordance, lots of layered guitar parts in the vein of Strongarm/Shai Hulud, some dual guitar riffing that flirts with tactful Swedish nods, and so on. The vocals mix shouting/screaming with singing and there are lots of vocal harmonies - the singing on these songs is much stronger than the other material I've heard from the band. And the cool thing is that despite so many different styles floating around, the songwriting is very fuckin' strong. Things feel focused and linear, the changes all make sense and don't come off as jumbled, the listening experience flows nicely, and so on. "Octopus" is a little more energetic and memorable with some awesome guitar interaction and a solid vocal performance, and the same goes for the similar but perhaps more melodic and consistent "Hanging on the Cross of Doubt"; "Relight" is faster than most of the songs and has some killer metallic riffing that still retains a strangely pop-punk aesthetic in some ways (just barely); and they even drop a cover of "Nowhere" by Therapy?, which is quite an unusual choice - one representative of just how wide the band's influences must span (and they make it fit in perfectly with their own style). I don't mind the production at all. It could be a little better of course, but it's nice and clear and the tones are good. The drums sound crisp and have a good sense of warmth, the bass is pretty well defined and has a good area of space behind the guitars, the guitars are heavy enough to pull off the constant melody and pack a punch but aren't over the top or massive, etc. The vocals can get slightly loud sometimes (mainly when doubled or layered), but they sound fine so I can live with that. Visually everything looks pretty good with some bright floral patterns and wallpaper types of textures underneath the band photo, a black sleeve with lots of text layers enclosing the jewel case, and all of the lyrics crammed together on two panels of the four-panel square foldout. The lyrics are kind of typical for metalcore, largely dealing with personal topics, as well as a few larger issues, with a lot of metaphorical speech that can be sort of overdramatic. I've seen worse, but nothing really strikes me about the content. I really like these songs, though. This is a great record. There's room for growth, but I'm expecting to be seriously blown away by these guys next time. Check this out, definitely. I haven't heard that many bands from Portugal, but this is definitely the best band I've heard from that region in several years. Recommended.
[Raging Planet]
Running time - 39:11, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: 5 Forward, Octopus, Hanging on the Cross of Doubt, Relight]
Raging Planet - http://www.ragingplanet.web.pt
