As soon as the link for this album hit my mailbox, I reacted to the name. Semblant. I knew I had heard about this lot before. In fact, I was sure I had listened to them at some point. A quick search through my iTunes library told me that yes, I had an album by the band. Don’t ask me how it landed there because I just can’t recall. Neither can I recall what they sounded like or if I dug it or not. Well, the record obviously didn’t make much of an impression with me and when I googled the band I knew why. Melodic, gothic Heavy/Death Metal. Death Metal is one of the Hard Rock sub-genres I still can’t wrap my head around and Goth? Well, it’s very rare that I take an interest in that. But since quitting is for quitters, I’d be damned if I didn’t give the band a fighting chance, so I took on the album with an open mind.
Semblant hails from Brazil and was formed back in 2006 when singer/growler Sergio Bazul joined forces with keyboard player J. Augusto and with a few line-up changes the band of today is what follows: singer Mizuho Lin, guitarist Juliano Ribeiro, bassist Johann Piper and drummer Thor Sikora. The band’s debut album Last Night Of Mortality came out in 2010 and the follow-up Lunar Manifesto (that’s the album I found in my iTunes library) in 2014. Now it’s time for the anticipated third album and the fact that it’s released by Frontiers is a bit of a surprise. A melodic Death Metal band! They’re really going all in on broadening their horizons.
Semblant open the album with the second single/video “Murder Of Crows”, a fast, rough and aggressive Metal belter with lots of edge and some classic Heavy Metal riffing that’s there to rough you up. It’s carried by thunderous rhythm section – mad and raving and vocally there’s a mix of clean vocals, both male and female and some death-gruffs. That said, it’s not without melodies, some arrangements are actually very melodic but it’s a dark, heavy and eerie number albeit a bit unstructured to these ears. It’s not a bad song at all but it never really catches on for me at all. And as a single? Well, this kind of music wasn’t made to become radio-hits anyway – it’s a single to show metal-fans what this lot is all about.
Next up is the speed-monster “Left Behind” with blasting drums so fast my eyes blackens and razor-sharp guitars there to rip your face off. The verses alters between between growl and clean female vocals, kinda melodic but the whole thing goes right for the throat when it comes to heaviness and aggression. This is not my keg of beer at all – nothing sticks or stands out, it only blasts your head off. A chorus? Dunno, I must have missed it. Latest single “Dethrone The Gods, Control The Masters (Legacy Of Blood Pt.Iv)” is up next and even though the title alone sounds like it’s gonna eat you alive, it’s a more melodic and catchier effort despite the growly vocals – Lin’s clean voice brings the memorability home here. But it’s still a heavy affair, dark and ominous. I’m not gonna say that the song floored me but it’s clearly the best track so far, bigger on song-structure and relying more on melodies than on aggression alone.
The albums leading single “Mere Shadow” is upbeat, heavy and fast with a driving, striking beat and a more structured rhythm. It’s pretty straight-forward and in-your-face with a rowdy yet more organized riffing and a really good vocal-melody when it comes to the clean vocals, unfortunately the growl gruffs shows up and they annoy me. It’s a melodic Death Metal bouncer for sure and it’s not really my thing but I without the growls, I could actually get into this. An ok tune. On a more laid-back note, “Porcelain” is still heavy and dark but lurks around in ballad territories with more prominent melodies and a memorable song-structure. But that doesn’t mean we’re getting into sugary power-balladry here, this is still a heavy and rough tune with hard, chugging and punchy riffing and a substantial rhythm section. Easily the best song so far and I really like this one.
After the last breather, Semblant takes up the aggression again with instantly maddening “The Hunter, The Hunger (Legacy Of Blood Pt.V)” that alters between evil Death Metal and Heavy Metal influences where the raw, meaty and robust staccato guitar riffing and a fat, menacing and bouncy rhythm. Also, a softer, held-back atmospheric breakdown comes in for dynamics sake which makes the song a more interesting listen. There are parts of this track that I really enjoy but there are also other parts that leaves me wondering what the fuck just happened. Next up is “Wasteland” that takes a turn of more classic Heavy Metal inspiration – robust, hard, heavy and aggressive yet with a really good main vocal-melody. But the Death Metal that are the verses and its growl takes the song to another level. Some will love this but I could really do without it – it could have been a good song. Parts of it is.
“Barely Breathing” comes across as a hybrid of Metal and Hard Rock with a slightly gothic outlook. The solid rhythms of the song comes with a rough punch, the guitars are crafty and the chorus is big, catchy and direct. They hold back in the verses to bring the song up to a climax in the refrain. I dig this. Great song. I wouldn’t have minded more of this. The abrasive “Wallachia” holds verses that are all melodic Death Metal – gravelly, eerie and blackening while its refrain travels more into melodic Metal with clean sung vocals. It also comes with an operatic part with big symphonic tendencies. Again, the blast-beat Death Metal verses aren’t to my liking at all but the chorus is.
“Daydream Tragedy” begins in a slower pace with a laid-back arrangement – it’s even soft – with bluesy yet quite gloomy undertones. With clean guitars and a growl-less vocal arrangement the tune later speeds up into a heavier direction while staying on the laid-back road and the refrain takes an ambient and grandiose turn. It’s a melodic ballad but completely sugar-free – this is powerful stuff. It’s actually the closing track if you don’t chose the formats where the bonus track “Insomnia” is included. Said bonus track is a more straight-forward affair that mixes dark and rowdy Metal with plain Hard Rock. The main-melody is distinct and punchy and bit gloomy and gothic as well. The vocal-melodies are all very melodic – even the growly ones. The song is both direct and memorable and I like it – it’s lots better than most of the other songs.
To sum it up, I must admit that Semblant’s music really isn’t where I dwell. I have difficulties to grasp Death Metal and growl (if it doesn’t belong to Mikael Åkerfeldt) so maybe I’m not the right guy to review this album. That being said, I think that Lin is a marvelous singer with a broad range and a voice impossible to not surrender to. Also, it’s not that hard to hear that the musical performances by the members are really spot-on – all really good musicians. But with the exception of a only a few songs, I just don’t get this. Nothing sticks, even after several spins and to be honest, it’s only “Porcelain”, “Barely Breathing” and the brilliant “Daydream Tragedy” – the least Death Metal songs on the album – that managed to make any impression on me. Also, I’m not that big on the production either. It sounds budget – cavernous, disheveled and a bit rushed. But maybe that’s the way it was supposed to sound. I’m not gonna say they suck because this is not really my world, I will just say it’s not for me.
3/10
Tracklist:
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