Behind the Wall

Summer is over, but what better way to end it than with another Brazilian power metal band! It's funny because this was described to me as a progressive metal band, and I hate to disagree, but this is prog the way early Viper was prog, that is to say, barely at all. This falls more into the heavy power metal genre. It's certainly closer to heavy metal than what I usually think of as progressive metal. But rather than getting pedantic about sub genres, let's talk about the sound. First of all in a lot of ways it reminds me of Shaman with Thiago Bianchi, actually the vocalist really evokes the style of Bianchi so if you're a fan of his work you'll probably enjoy this. This album almost strikes me as in-between the sounds of Immortal and Origins. It's certainly more boisterous and energetic than Immortal, but it's also got better production values compared to Origins. There's some Brazilian percussion and more South American sections, but for the most part this is straightforward heavy power metal with a couple twists along the way. This is very reminiscent of Viper, less Soldiers of Sunrise, more Theatre of Fate. Also I don’t know how many people have heard of them but this album reminds me a bit of Caravellus with the darker proggy riffs that crop up occasionally. 

Getting to the music Book of Life opens up with a great riff setting us up for a 7 minute slab of heavy/power metal. It doesn’t really do anything unique, normal song structure, just with a third chorus, but what the song does great is keeping the rhythm section active under the verses which makes the build up to the choruses feel more impactful. My only complaint really is the production seems to take away some of the punch it could have otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, the guitar, drums and bass all sound phenomenal. This isn’t me trashing the production, it’s more just a preference thing. They went for a really dry sound on this album which works at some points, but in others I think it holds back the music from feeling as epic and massive as it could. This song has a magnificent bridge/solo and in general if you’re a fan of bands like Viper, this will appeal to you big time. Prisoner of a Modern World is a little more fun and bouncy with a more repetitive chorus. It’s a solid song and it’s got some little musical surprises within. These guys are better musicians than their music immediately lets on and I rather enjoy that. Fall of Jericho is the dark and heavy one of the track list, that opening riff is filthy and it lets you know exactly what you’re in for. Felipe Travaglini is the vocalist and I just want to talk about him for a minute because I think I unfairly judged him at first. Like I said this production is really dry so the vocalist doesn’t get as much help as many do these days, but as I’ve dug deeper into this album I’ve come to appreciate that. It’s a somewhat raw performance and his voice is more versatile than it might appear at first. He sounds like so many different vocalists I love and he can sing different styles, and seemingly switch on a dime; that takes talent and if he ever reads this review I want him to know I am impressed. 

Then we have Leaves of Winter; someday I won’t even have to say this, but as a general rule of thumb, I tend to think ballads are the worst song on an album until proven innocent. Most of the time I just don’t have time or energy for power ballads, they all follow this form that hasn’t really changed since the 1960s and most of them feel like a waste of time. Given the genre here I was expecting another boring power ballad, but Ivory Gates proved me very wrong. I’ll lead with the bad, I think once again the dry production hurts this song and there’s not a lot going on during parts of this song that make it feel a little empty, but the rest of the song has this awesome bassline running through it and really this turned into a bass & vocals feature which I can definitely deal with. This isn’t a top shelf ballad, but it does several little things with the atmosphere and tone that keep it interesting and some of the modulations are almost weird, in a good way. The chorus is okay, but what makes it more interesting are the transitions surrounding it, and of course the bass just sounds incredible throughout. Hugo Mazzoti playing bass and cello on this album, my hat is off to you; his playing isn’t incredibly technical or anything, but he plays with such soul and the one thing the production helps the most is definitely the bass. Good Enough is a very apt song title because it’s not great, but it’s good enough. It’s got some speed and a solid hook, but for me the intensity feels lackluster compared to the rest of the album, but it’s still a fine song. Ah but then we get Duality which is probably my favorite song here. It’s an instrumental, but really this whole album I’ve been waiting for the guitar and the bass to cut loose and even though they do a bit here, it’s still not overly flashy and technical. No this is about style and the main hook of this song has the bass and guitar harmonizing in some fun ways. Then in the second half we get to THE BRAZILIAN PERCUSSION. Sorry about the caps, I love Brazilian percussion, and rhythm sections they’re always my favorite part of an album and it’s the reason Brazilian power metal is my favorite sub genre of music, it’s very unique in how they utilize the bass and the percussion to enhance what the guitar is doing and everything feels very tightly written and woven around each other. This is a band with great chemistry. Yesterday’s News is also in the progish (It’s a word because I’ve made it a word, deal with it) vein. We get some really fun call and response almost between the vocals, bass and guitars and as I always say, keep your rhythm section busy during the verses (especially in heavy/power metal) because otherwise it can feel a little static. This band rarely makes that mistake and one of the things that fascinates me about this album is that every time I listen to it I notice new things. There’s lots of little subtle touches on this song that make it a lot of fun for me, some people might find the transitions too abrupt, but that doesn’t bother me. There’s some great guitar harmonization going on too, a tradition in Brazilian power metal, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever get sick of guitars harmonizing in sixths, seriously it’s a great interval. 

Alright now we get to the end, it’s a short album at 43 minutes, 48 with the bonus track, but we’ll get there. I think the brevity of the album helps it, because throughout the album there’s not too much that’s flashy, the composition and arrangement of this music is very practical. So when the band chooses select moments to show off a little bit it’s that much more effective. Look I love flashy technical power metal as much as the next person, but there is definitely a lot to appreciate about the angle this album takes on the genre. The title track kind of does it all, just about everything you’ve heard on this album so far this song manages to encompass all of it. Dark and heavy riffs? Check, audible bass playing? Acoustic guitar plucking, accompanied by the bass? Yes please! This song has that epic quality I felt was missing from Good Enough, this song has a lot of weight and gravity to it and even though the chorus isn’t as central to this song it’s still a really fun listen, it’s just not as catchy as the rest of the album. This is a solid, above average heavy/power/prog metal album that manages to weave its styles together quite nicely. It’s not an album that will blow you away, but it’s an album with surprising depth and plenty of relistening value. Fans of Viper especially, but really if you like Brazilian metal in general this will appeal to you if you give it some time.