Here’s the thing, most death metal these days
completely fails at adding in clean vocals when it wants to. It seems tacky,
overwrought and at worst it’s just whiny. So when a band comes along who GET
how to make death metal with touches of beautiful female vocals then obviously
there is something to get excited about.
That’s probably why I find the music of Lurking, one of the latest and
greatest French metal bands to be especially thrilling. Their werewolf inspired debut record, the ominously entitled Betrayed is a symbol of what the genre can be.
Overall the songwriting is pretty interesting with
lots of powerful riffs and some truly righteous solos. Yet the true highlight
of this record is the way the vocals intertwine. Not just the female vocals
either (as incredible as they may be), the use of two growlers can add a lot of
meat to the songs and keep the tracks exciting and face melting. There are some
nice hooks here to, musical and vocal. There are nice little touches of
melodeath to keep the listener engaged and obviously this groups beast of a frontwoman
knows how to catch your ear every time. These vocal elements help to keep this
groups debut dynamic and engaging.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for an album that
brings a new side to death metal then Betrayed is the album for you. The way the parts on this album work together to
create something special is not the sort of thing metal critics get to hear
every day. This werewolf themed group has a pretty unique approach and the
potential they have is impressive, especially considering the stellar production characterizing the album. With some polishing of the songwriting these
guys could be the next French metal lords. Seeing them again at OpenWall Fest
on September 28th should be a most excellent occasion.
Find
them on Facebook!
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