Infected Rain :'TIME"

If there was ever a band that supported my claim that djent is really just technical nu-metal, this band would lend credence to my theory. They are dark and emotive while banging out dense grooves with industrial-strength guitar tones. They do care about songs and bring a side of atmosphere and thoughtful vocals to things. The vocal hooks sometimes stick better than other times, though typically speaking Lena Scissorhands shows more spunk than most of the other female metal singers trying similar approaches. This album does feel heavier than their last, as the guitars have a bigger more aggressive edge to them. 

"Never to Return" shows their gentler side to some extent, though this is the kind of soft-to-loud formula nu-metal kept popular in the 90s. They may be taking it to a more extreme realm here. "Lighthouse" places the spotlight on Scissorhand's voice more solidly, which seems to have expanded its mastery over her cleaner singing on this album. This plays in the favor of their songwriting here. Atmosphere is used in a manner not unlike what Deftones do. With a song like "The Answer is You"  there is the chance to hear how easily nu-metal can also be connected to metalcore. The vocals focus more on being punchy than hooky here. This is done but with more ambiance on '"Vivarium".  

A more uniform bouncing pound settles into things for a couple of songs, with the mood broken up by the melodic middle section to "Enimity". I like her vocal phrasing on that one.  Though lyrically it's a little self-pitying. Yet that was a theme of nu-metal. Ironically around "Unpredictable" things become predictable, though in the case of "Unpredictable," it is more tightly written than the songs that begin to blend with its pulse. "Game of Blame" is more like a pop ballad. Despite the guitar lurking closer toward the back of the mix at times, and the more growled progression there is something about it that reminds me of Madonna. "Paura" feels like it picks up where the previous song left off when it kicks in. There is more dynamic nuance that gives the vocals more room. I will give this album a 9, as they have really dialed their sound in and she continues to grow in interesting ways as a singer. 

pst70