.:CD Reviews:.
KROSSBREED – Carved In Stone (Krossbreed 2008) |
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Two years ago the from Antwerp, Belgium, hailing crossover band KROSSBREED released its second demo, "Enjoy The Rage", after "Down To The Core"
(2005). Since its forming in 2003 the band has been working hard to get
their name out and even managed to play at Wacken Open Air last year,
thanks to the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle competition.
Musically the band moved from Metalcore into a more Thrash-orientated
direction, in vein of bands like PANTERA, SEPULTURA, SOUFLY, ... and
that proved to be a good thing, although there still was and is some
work to be done to perfect the compositions. One of the latest efforts
is a new release, "Carved In Stone",
which came out around the end of February. And to think RAGE released
its newest album under the same title, also around that time.
Once again, 5 songs were prepared for this release. The aggression of
before is still a trademark, as shown in the first riffs of "Legacy".
The drums have been given a raw sound to fit the atmosphere. Michel's
voice sounds as rough as before, perhaps even more. He's definitely not
happy about something. "Legacy"
is a midtempo grinder with threatening leads. It's strange, though, how
the second half was filled in: snare rolls, gentle guitarwork, clean
singing... gone is the heaviness of before.
The bass of Stef plays the first notes of "Leave You Bleeding",
while Michel and/or Hendrik add some MACHINE HEAD-like accents. After
that the grinding mill starts to turn. The production is rawer than
before, which leaves a sort of noise when playing the CD. And no, I
didn't put the volume too high and yes, my speakers are powerful
enough. It's over halfway that a speed increase is needed and
implemented, to complement the screamy guitarsolo. Afterwards things
slow down again, for more headbang pleasure. MACHINE HEAD comes to mind
once more. Michel adds another load of threatening vocal lines to this
dark and gloomy song.
The fast guitarwork and riding cymbal accents that commence "Carved In Stone"
promise a fast song, which is the case for the first moments. Tom even
adds some blastbeats. After that, once the song really has found the
right line, the tempo drops (especially in the chorus), but there's a
lot of aggressive and furious guitarwork to be found. Michel screams as
if something bad happened to him. Drumwise there's enough variation in
terms of speed, rhythm, fills, although it's as one would expect from
any crossover band. Around 03:20 the desired uptempo part is there and
that's a good thing, for it breaks the monotony that lingers in the
first few minutes. Considering the song lasts for more than 5 minutes,
they did well to keep the music diverse enough.
Michel goes once more for clean singing in the verses of "Right Where It Belongs"
and honestly, he's not that good, mainly because his throat is used to
screaming in accordance with the brutal riffing and pounding drums,
which are very well done here and perhaps the best so far. Before
really bursting out the chorus, snare rolls and short grooves build up
the tension, but if you listen carefully you'll detect an accoustic
guitar, which is a nice addition and makes the song more complete. The
last few minutes are slow, breakdown-ish and the song drags itself
towards the end in that manner.
"Means To An End" starts
ferociously, there's no stopping possible and that's a true refreshment
at this stage. Uptempo, Thrashy Metal with sharp riffing, Michel's
rough screaming. This is one mighty song and as far as I'm concerned,
the best on "Carved In Stone".
Seriously, everything is better proportioned, better aligned. The
Hardcore influences will always be a part of KROSSBREED's music, since
it's here as well, in the chorus.
KROSSBREED have been improving their their skills over the years. Already on the second demo, "Enjoy The Rage", Michel and co. showed they had good ideas, but not all worked out equally well. "Carved In Stone"
is the next chapter in the band's discography and history, but somehow
I'm not that impressed. Mainly the production is responsable for that.
Sure, it's raw to accentuate the viciousness, the brutality,
aggressiveness and more, but at the same time it makes the music more
chaotic, compared to the previous demo. The Hardcore aspect is still
present, and that's what makes KROSSBREED what it is, else they would
have to change the name. In general, I consider "Carved In Stone"
more as a promotional tool for the band's live performances, meaning
that the material will come out better on stage. Fans of Thrashcore
should find this new release quite pleasing, though.
More info at www.krossbreed.be.
Line-up:
Michel Vermoens - vocals, guitars
Hendrik - guitars
Stef - bass
Tom - drums