Nonsense

Scandelion is a Spanish gothic metal band hailing from the Canary Islands. Three albums into their existence, Scandelion is now the solo project of keyboardist slash vocalist Jorge Afonso. Formed in 2002, the band boasts as many past members as Iced Earth. Seriously, there are twenty-two past members listed. 2014 sees the release of Nonsense, the third release by Scandelion, and the first album as a solo outing for Afonso, supported by a barrage of session musicians. Nonsense begins with a piano backed narration of Edgar Allen Poe's “Alone”, which is fitting. Poe discuses two polar opposites: light and dark; and the inability to exist wholly within the expectations of others.

Scandelion's third opus could be seen as this struggle between good and evil; heavy and light. Nonsense travels through a variety of tempos and rhythms, all linked together by Afonso's endless barrage of synthesized backdrops and piano lines. That's not saying that this is just some serene, sappy trip down wussy lane, as there are some truly heavy segments on display here, but it's all linked and interwoven by seamless keyboards and pianos. You have songs with chunky, palm muted guitars with almost death metal inspired riffing, like on “Dusk in Your Dreams', which manages to stay completely rooted in a haunting gothic atmosphere, because of the overarching keyboard melodies placed over the heavy riffing. Even with all of the gothic, keyboard shtick there is a fair amount of grooving to be found, typically in the impressive drum performance which is a constant barrage of double bass runs and technical flourishes coupled with remarkable constraint during the quieter sections. This actually quite an ambitious album, focusing on the haunting melodies of gothic metal and the grooving often grinding rhythms of extreme metal. “Die.. or Die (Your Choice)” showcases the rhythmic palm muting and crunching riffs underneath the endless fall of keyboards, but it's all anchored to earth by a blasting barrage of double bass runs.

Nonsense features the voices of four guest vocalists, which add an impressive array of vocal outlets throughout. As Afonso's typical delivery involves exceedingly deep growls, it's good to get a little diversity in line, but he does show that he has a solid clean vocal style as well during a few quieter sections, with a mid-range delivery featuring the swaggering strut of many eighties rockers without annoying me to pieces. Three guests showcase female vocals, which range from rather atrocious, harpy styled on “Nonsense – Part II” to actually kind of enjoyable on “Pain of a Dying Soul”. So guest vocals and few sweaty serenades aside, the vocal delivery is growled, raspy and rather demonic. It's fitting in Scandelion's battle between dark and light. There are a few more ambitious aspects here as well, such as the classical guitar backing during “My Tears Drown Your Heart” and the electronic-tinged keyboards during “Dusk in Your Dreams”.

Nonsense is an enjoyable album if you like the concept of gothic metal, but feel it's usually too contrived and wimpy. Scandelion injected some balls into gothic metal, and a few missteps aside, it's a solid release. I could without some of the female vocal sections, but what's a gothic metal album without some beauty and the beast vocals, right? Ten tracks of gothic metal battling between heaviness and beauty. Ten tracks of Jorge Afonso's brilliant keyboard compositions and excellent songwriting. I really like this album, but it's a grower. The subtle counter-play between the keyboards and other instruments is impressive, but you need to give it some time. For those who wish their gothic metal could be just a tad heavier...

Written for The Metal Observer:
http://www.metal-observer.com/