Valletta : "Summer"

 

One thing I like about death n roll bands is they tend to take heart in the songwriting parts of rock music. Obvious these guys really dig Entomb's "Wolverine Blues" album. These guys are however able to translate that in a way that makes it their own thing. The growled vocals can give everything a more uniform sound, I like the darker throb to "Saint" but had to listen to it three times before the song clicked in for me. There is a darker more deliberate punch to "Diving into the Deep". The band does care about songwriting and are all veterans of projects like Lord Almighty and Hopesfall, so they have the know-how. The gritty focus of their sound seems to keep them locked in a similar shade of gray. 

There is more of a thrash feel to the tempo picking up on "Criminal" as things get more aggressive. Things do not take the shift into the more creative direction I could hear they were capable of until "Soot & Ash" where the chorus takes a more sung vocal, and the overall song carries a more deliberate tock feel. In some ways "III Blood" makes the most sense to have as a single, as the guitar playing is melodic and catchy it works with what the context of streaming metal radio might sound like these days. I think the previous song was better. "In Ectasy' by merit of its songwriting is more deliberate and catchier.  

Then there is almost an 80s rock feel to the riff that opens "On the Run".  This does account for catchier songwriting. Say what you about the 80s but the songs have stood the test of time. "Bringing the Worst" also embraces a more purposeful side to their riffing that is more memorable. "Come Alive" marches forward with the triumphant stomp of classic metal. "Almighty Hate' chugs with a darker intensity to close the album. There is a slight tinge of black metal to this, but it's a pretty straightforward song, not the catchiest but effective. I will give this an 8.5, it's not the most original album I have heard, but they are good at what they do. With that said it makes it better than most as they have songs that are not just rushed by you in a feral frenzy like most bands these days. Coming out on October 4th on Forcefield Records. 

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