Thanatic Eyes « The RingMaster Review

Pic by Sami Benhamou

French band Heartlay made their introduction with the well-received debut EP Injection just over a year ago and fair to say their imaginative blend of industrial and melody rich metal sparked potent reactions and words. Now they have followed it up with an even mightier exploit in Remedy, a five-track EP continuing the band’s experimental merger of rich flavours. The band is still working towards their wholly unique sound but whilst showing a realisation of some of the potential impressing within its predecessor Remedy taps into fresh promise which forcibly suggests the Parisian quartet is an exciting prospect to watch.

Formed in 2014 by vocalist/composer Aaron Sadrin, Heartlay quickly finalised its creative strength with guitarist Johan Laë (ex-Moven.S), bassist Flo Lemonnier (ex-Kera, ex-Thanatic Eyes) and drummer Loïs Arnaldi (of Irradiance). As mentioned Injection quickly put the band on the radar of a great many luring strongly positive reactions in turn and now building upon its base and success, Heartlay is set to spark greater attention as they explore darker and more creatively demanding essences with Remedy. Adding greater raw aggression and emotional shadows this time around whilst pushing their imagination to thicker boldness, the EP shows an open evolution which has ears suitably gripped from the opening moment of the Brett Lamas-Caldas (Tower Studio: SepticFlesh, Devin Townsend) mastered EP.

Bring You Down opens things up, the song a strenuous wall of riffs and rhythms swiftly entwined in wiry sonic enterprise and vocal expression. Its intensity and power is a commanding and forceful wind but still allowing room for the melodic prowess and inventive weave of heavy rock and steely metal textures to make their persuasion. A Gravity Kills feel with a fierce fire to it graces the seriously engaging mix as vocals seduce and roar to match the journey of the music across the impressing start to Remedy. It is a potent persuasion continuing with Consequence. The scent of Nine Inch Nails hinted at in the first is a stronger flavouring to the second song, but equally there is an element of UK band MiXE1 and Deftones at play too as it reveals its own distinctive tapestry of searing sonic endeavour and electronic exploration.

As the opener gripped ears, the second intensifies the tempting with its sonically sizzling air and dramatic character; that progression continuing as The Battle initially coaxes the senses with warm keys aligned to a haunting ambience wrapping the raw industrial core of the song. Spineshank comes to thoughts early on in the increasingly volatile and compelling track as well as a generally assumed Trent Reznor inspiration, both stirring up more reasons to enjoy the abrasively tenacious and increasingly enjoyable proposition.

Through The Window adds its creative weight to the convincing roar of the EP next, its body a perpetually twisting venture of electronic and metal resourcefulness that again seems to be another little step on in imagination and potency than its predecessor, a trend across Remedy that does it no harm.

The melancholic ambience soaked Black Walls concludes the release, its predominantly instrumental body seemingly and enjoyably seeded in eighties dark wave invention with Gary Numan and The Cure passing thoughts as the track seduces with its cold romance and inspires the imagination through its haunting elegance. It is a strong end to Remedy, offering another side to the fascinating Heartlay sound.

The EP is an intriguing and tantalising next step in the emergence of the French band. There are moments where the release seems to resist going further into the unknown or wavers in its real strengths but from start to finish, whilst leaving ears thoroughly enamoured, Remedy suggests Heartlay is a band with the qualities and imagination to make a major impact.

The Remedy EP is out now @ https://heartlay.bandcamp.com/album/remedy-ep or http://heartlay.bigcartel.com/

http://www.heartlay.com/ http://twitter.com/heartlaymusic https://www.facebook.com/heartlaymusic

Pete RingMaster 08/01/2016

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KERA_BAND_PICTURE_HD_RingMaster Review

With a debut which just seems to get bigger, bolder, and more antagonistically ravenous with every listen, French progressive death metallers Kera have announced themselves on the European metal scene in fine and imposing style. Their three-track self-titled EP is an uncompromising rage of intensity and malevolent energy sculpted through sonic imagination. Whether it is an instant game changer for the band time will tell but the impressive EP definitely makes the statement, we are here, pay attention!

The seeds of Kera began with the demise of metallers Thanatic Eyes, the trio of vocalist Flo’ Lemonnier, bassist Kevin Gastaldi, and drummer Klem’ Baler rising from its ashes and subsequently uniting with guitarists Thibal François and Arthur Heim as a new sound and band emerged through them. Taking their time in this endeavour ensured Kera’s music, as evidenced by the EP, grew and was honed into something full and commandingly flavoursome before hitting ears, not to mention, as again shown by their first encounter, dramatically intimidating. They infuse and twist a progressive death metal canvas with a diversity of spices from heavy to black metal, simultaneously creating unpredictable and striking proposals.

KERA_EP_COVER_HD_RingMaster Review It is a harsh adventure which begins on the EP with Masters Enslaved. Opening with a haunting atmosphere smothering a seemingly portentous echo of things passed and to come, the track escalates into a tempest of crushing beats, bestial riffs, and sonic toxicity. Grooves are just as swift in their early persuasion as also the raw and hoarse tones of Lemonnier. Already song and band show how potent a mix of spices and sounds drive their sound, the opening assault on the senses ultimately a death bred predation and hostility entwined with captivating slithers and strands of various fierce styles in one hellacious tapestry and increasingly potent incitement.

The gripping start to the release continues with Architect of Silence, the second storm from the band even more venomous and corrosive but an intensity matched in strength by a web of irresistible hooks, inflamed grooves, and a sonic enterprise which sizzles on the ear. It is a beast of a song, just about outshining its predecessor by sheer creative brutality and rhythmic force alone. The sudden moment of inspired calm and melodic tempting within do it no harm either, the track revealing just a little more of the depth of thought and variety in the Kera sound, and more of its creative barbarism.

Both songs also revel in the ability of the Paris band to merge tempestuous and ruinous extremes with skilfully forged and similarly contagious enticements of melodic and experimental designs. It is an intriguing and predominantly successful mix in evidence once again in the closing explosion of ferocious rock ‘n’ roll that is Silence. The track instantly grips ears and appetite with its predatory stalking of the senses, riffs and rhythms a rabid tempting by themselves but only enhanced by the initial scourge of sonic and grouchy vocal spite. In time though the song does lack the adventure so ripe in the first two songs. The range of vocals sharing time in the track are much more appealing when spilling animus through a throat scarring roar than in a cleaner grizzle of a delivery, and there are moments musically where invention is more expectations feeding, these times coincidently aligning with the less effective side of the vocals. Put in to context though, with addictive torrents of grooved wrapped riffs and a mesmeric slip into a progressive calm which in turn breeds a wind of superb individual prowess from the guitars, the track is never less than strong bait.

For an opening proposal, the Kera EP is a highly enjoyable and imaginative confrontation which also seems to be only hinting at depths yet to be untapped by the band in songwriting and sound. Expectations after their first release is that Kera have the potential to sculpt a very strong place in the progressive metal scene; it is just up to them to go for and take it.

The Kera EP is available now via https://kerainvidia.bandcamp.com or http://kera.bigcartel.com/

http://www.facebook.com/KeraInvidia https://twitter.com/KeraInvidia

RingMaster 23/07/2015