ALBUM REVIEW
"BLEACH THE SKY " 1.
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Making impressive progress in such a short period of time,
Dorset band RATEOFDEPRESS have released
their debut album called “Bleach The Sky” and on this evidence it is
difficult to understand why they are still unsigned. Formed during early 2002, their music is a balanced fusion of melody and awesome heaviness. They have the energy and aggression of modern metal and the tuneful prowess of today’s emo, but also throw in some good old fashioned metal riffs to boot. They have a talent for writing songs such as “Garden Of Roses” that seem to be taking one direction which seems quite clear and then from nowhere they’ll drop in the most destructive riff which rips the song open and invigorates the listener once again. “D.O.A” starts the album with a message of heaviness and sounds kind of like a mix of Ministry and Zero Cipher. The album provides vocals that vary from throat tearing ferocity to almost angelic mellowness. When switched to guttural they sound very Max Cavalera and both “When A Fad Becomes Fatal” and “DislekSICK” contain echo’s of Soulfly before they broaden into the melodies. It’s heavy, solid and crunching, with “Because You’re Mine” and “Two Steps From Paradise” and the jumpy, mosh-friendly “Why I Can’t Sleep” is as downtuned as you like it. The excellent “Familiar Faces” displays their most melodic moments and suggests a classy crossbreed of Vacant Stare and Incubus, and the title track “Bleach The Sky” combines the unrefined and the slick in a Fony-esque kind of way, only much heavier. It’s a diverse collection throughout the album ranging from the raw and jagged to the polished and precise with songs that more than deliver on the power and aggression stakes but also in the punchy melodic choruses and catchy tunes that generate a very British feel. It requires several listens to begin to appreciate the full picture with pretty much every song having appeal with no fillers to be found. This band has developed immeasurably in just about every aspect from their promising 2002 demo and with the help of quality production has managed to create a really excellent and well balanced album of invigorating metal. Rigsby (5th
July, 2003) |
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