Death is June - White Stones : "Memoria Via"

 

Having covered their previous albums we are excited for a third one as it will assuredly mean great guitar playing with a progressive touch to their take on melodic death metal. Right from the start Opeth bassist Martin Mendez is bringing exotic chord progressions. Even when the growled vocals come, there is more of a rock tone placed back further in the mix. Perhaps because this album is done in his native tongue, so he did not want that fact as prominent. It's way more progressive than the first two albums bringing them much closer to where he left off with Opeth,. It does get ambitious in the maze of twists and turns by the third track, though is still an interesting listen thanks to the prominence of riffs to hook you back into it. 

"Zomba D Orun" is a break from the more guitar-centered song into an experimental jazz-like instrumental. Almost like something you would hear on an early King Crimson album. Then with "La Ira" they ventured into a more angular grooving song, with plenty of room for the guitar to get flashy at the corners. The guitar solos are always a high point on their albums, and this one is no exception this is coming from someone who wants to know you are capable of doing this but doesn't like excessive shredding. They are handled in a manner Robert Fripp would approve of here. "Somos' is a subtle jazzy interlude, that is very nuanced. 

This album is not heavy but uses metallic elements to add a more aggressive touch. It is more thoughtful than it is dark. They are masters of dynamics, making this a graceful rollercoaster ride that glides instead of jerking you with jarring arrangements. This is a stark contrast to the new Malignancy album I just reviewed, which crammed this album's entire number of time signature changes into one song, making it a more abrasive listen. These guys can shred rings around Malignancy, but choose not to do songs and the songs benefit from it. "Grito Al Silencio" taps into both a more death metal-like sound and further explorations into jazz. Cools sounds and ideas even if it is not the most focused song. Though death metal fans win out on this one as the vocals commit to a more commanding growl. 

The progressive side of the band is where the groove comes from which gives wider audiences something to bob their heads to which is why Tool has a broader fan base than Cannibal Corpse. His time in Opeth, who certainly have grown from being just a death metal band has taught him this lesson. As the bass player, he knows this central role of groove.  The last song is more of an instrumental outro, sounds nice, but aside from the context of the album not something you want to listen to out of this context. Regardless the interludes add nice color and remind you of the art of the album, I will give this album a 9.5, as it once again blends a flawless mix of metallic energy to prog, though it finds them crossing over more firmly into prog metal. 

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