Polarissima

In many ways, Midnight Realm reminds me of Timecry, only if they didn't overtly suck eggs. The formula at play here on Polarissima is one we've seen many times before and the gradient strongly favors the more sappy, melodic cleaner tones, much to the disappointment of those pining for harried melodic death with consistent riffs. Some of these leads show promise, but the rhythm consists of vapid chugging in lockstep with the typewriter-sounding drums. The death grunts are basked in irrelevance due to the prevalence of the cleans, of which many songs are constructed around. And Posselwhite's voice isn't even that impressive, but he does have a penchant for memorable, elastic inflection.

In all honesty, I don't even know why I am so partial to this style, but there is a particular dichotomy evoked by the twinkling programmed orchestrations and clean vocal overuse. Maybe I am beyond trying to fool myself that this has any credence as metal proper, and I just try to enjoy the poppy vocal melodies and synths in contrast to the surface level harshness of the riffing. It isn't as garish as Silent Descent and the like, but I can see some ephemeral parallels when I compare tunes like "Mystic Revelations" with the softer songs from Mind Games. The EP starts with a bargain bin RPG-sounding orchestral intro that isn't worth a damn, but the four following songs all have their appeals and the promise of at least a few nifty In Flames leads and sticky vocal lines. "Solaris" opens with that nebular, early Scar Symmetry-esque lead and contains some endearing Skyfire-sounding keyboards, exhibiting all of the isolated appeals coexisting with great returns.

That said, Midnight Realm have the tendency to lapse into monotony more often than they should on a shorter EP, with large swaths of "Requiem" requiring a deft trimming of fat to excel at the required level. Polarissima does show some promise, as more studio time would do Posselwhite's cleans much favor, along with the more polished final product that would come as a direct result. For some reason, this potential hasn't been fully realized yet, so this EP simply exists as a collection of a few solid post-Gothenburg stabs at mainstream appeal, almost like an experiment to see how far/long one can get away with shoving the riffing aside without being called out on it. Well, sure that could work, but you better have some amazing clean vocals and leads, both of which Midnight Realm only "sorta" pull off. Needs refinement, but I'll check out a full-length if one ever comes out.