Karma

Little is known from this band of Portugal, but their discography is a force to be reckoned with. The first time I've heard about The 9th Cell was at around 2011, when they've released a metal version from The Cranberries's "Zombie", which got my attention.Then there was "Galga de zebra ilesa" - a portuguese title that has something of bizarre and interesting at the same time, which means "Hunger of a spotless zebra". That was a very well made record with influences that go from Devin Townsend to Porcupine Tree, Korn, Pain of Salvation and even a little bit of a Fantomas and Faith no More vibe. With impressive vocals, great guitar riffs and a well balanced sense of dynamics, this was something that got my ear rattled. After a huge hiatus, they return with "Karma".

At the very first seconds of the album, I got immediately blown away: this was way darker and heavier than anything they've ever done before. "Feminazi" kicks in as a fast-paced "dillinger-escape-plannish" song, where a Devin Townsend influence is absolutely obvious with the schizo vocals ranging from high-pitch clean to medium rasp to full fledged growls. On the first half of the song I was totally hooked with the voice of David Pais, with a huge expression range and a great sense of melody. Then I knew this was going to be a ride. Much like the previous "Galga", from 2012, this album has a well balanced sound aesthetic, counter-balancing heavy moments with really tender bits, almost as if they wanted to smooth our ears and keep us calm, just to throw us in a beautiful sound storm. "Karma" manages to be a beautiful revelation to me, as a brilliant and intelligent record, with very good and thoughtful lyrics, interesting interludes and a fresh approach to Metal. There is no formula present at all, as most of the songs flow as if they were part of a whole instead of a "intro-verse-prechorus-chorus-repeat-solo-chorusagain-end", which to me made it completely unpredictable and innovative.

Actually, I can only remember three solos which were pretty good, in a total of 18 songs, so these guys don't really want to fit into the regular metal-standard band category. If you consider that the second act of the record even has a portuguese rap-song and an electronic innuendo, you get the feeling they are not looking to be accepted, but are more interested in making music with an opened mind without any prejudice or barriers, which to me is the most important thing but to some metal heads, it can be very hard to understand.There are also three standout songs that really compliment the album perfectly, where a really melancholic piano crosses with David's voice, bringing some of it's most beautiful moments to life.The 9th Cell are simply incredible, and it's a shame that there's not much around them on the internet, not even shows which I would definitively love to see. I don't know how is this band still unknown, given the obvious talent displayed on one of the most interesting records I have ever heard. This is a band that could easily be touring along with Pain of Salvation, Devin Townsend or even Karnivool if you want to go that far. Their sound is a unique melting pot of thrash, death, metalcore with a good mix of progressive rock, which is fresh and powerful. Metal head or not, this is something you should listen to.