Janszoon |
10-12-2017 07:40 AM |
Diary About My Nightmares—The Mean Hour
A competently recorded album by a collection of competent musicians—that is the highest praise I can give this album. Pretty much every track on the album has pieces that work but overall none of the tracks are very interesting. Possibly the biggest issue is the drummer, who plays like a bored session musician with no interest in metal. Likewise, the guitar here, while undoubtedly competent, is incredibly cheesy stuff that sounds like it's being played by people whose knowledge of metal ended in 1984. The bassist is a non-entity, not much to say there. So that brings me to the vocals. Aside from the clean parts—which are atrocities best left undiscussed—I like the vocals. Female death metal vocals are welcome change of pace in such a male dominated genre, but I think she needs a new band.
Overall, this album lacks intensity. The band is tight and the best parts of the album are when they lock into a high speed groove. Unfortunately, the songwriting is so tepid that none of the songs have any sense of dynamism, the playing seems so bored that it's hard to care what's happening, and the production is so middle-of-road that there isn't much to sink your teeth into.
As a side note, this band has one of the dumbest names I've ever heard, and that's really saying something in the world of metal.
3/10
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