Israel's The Fading are a pretty promising melodic death metal outfit, especially having won the Wacken Metal Battle back in 2008. Their sound is unmistakable for fans of Soilwork, Scary Symmetry, Dark Tranquillity, In Flames and you know the rest. The record was recorded in Israel, then handed over to Jens Borgren who mastered it in Sweden. Now I'm not real sure if it's Borgren's mastering or the band's skill that really makes for a memorable album, but I will say that what I've heard here is definitely the genuine article. While these guys aren't really approaching anything groundbreaking with the record, it's still truly solid melodic death metal that I feel purists will completely enjoy. I've been listening to this stuff just as long as many of you readers have and I can tell right where the Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates, In Flames exc, influences are on each song. “A Moment of Insight” for example sounds a lot like Dark Tranquillity, maybe with some In Flames nodes in the chorus line that I wouldn't hear from the former. “Where Last Hope Dies” sounds just like In Flames at their prime and is not too heard to dissect, while “Solitude Express” comes pounding in with an At The Gates feel that could also be compared to Dark Tranquillity/In Flames. Are you getting the idea yet? Till Life Do Us Part sounds like a celebration of melodic death metal at it's best and I really think a lot of people are going to enjoy it, especially if they missed out on it last year. Paul Mitiyanine is the sole guitarist for this project, and he's pretty fucking amazing. Yeah, he hits the familiar melodeath notes, but he also lets loose on some really nice leads and sparkling solos. There are still some sections that could be brightened a bit and I'd really like to hear these guys do a song that's longer than four minutes, but what we're given is certainly not bad.
At least the cuts do have some sections where they break off and form something that doesn't sound so derivative. It's not a big leap as these guys tend to use too much of the same riff structures and I don't remember melodeath being that bland (or maybe it was, until the bright leads kicked in) but it does work for the formula and I won't in any means knock it. Ilia Badrov has a terrific mixture of scowl and growl, but his cleans still need a little bit of work. There are many times through the record where I wish it just stuck to the harsh vocals. Maybe with some clean vocal coaching the guy can pull off some better vocal harmonies, but he can scowl his fucking ass off, so it's not really a big deal for me. For most people, this whole record is going to be based purely on nostalgia and that's what it is for me. Till Life Does Us Part sounds like a classic melodic death metal album and that's it's biggest strength. These Israelis take an “if it ain't broke” approach that clearly works. Two albums in the bucket and they're still going strong. Melodeath purists need to pick up this one for sure. It's as bare bones to the approach as it gets. You're welcome.
(12 Tracks, 44:00)
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment