Iblis: Menthell

Iblis is a new band from Krakow, Poland. Menthell, their first release, is one of those albums that can only be described as eclectic. They blend together so many styles that it's difficult to know exactly how to understand just exactly what it is they are trying to do. I was impressed with some of the musicianship on this album, especially the busy and active bass parts, but the vocals are distracting in the extreme. It's not that the singer can't sing, but that he chooses to take his sound right into the cracks between the notes that he should be hitting. This, of course, is intentional, an attempt to see what can happen when melody and improvisation hit non-musical tones. I am intrigued by the idea of such exploration but I wanted less of it. There's a delicate balance between a jazz soloist, for example, who takes improvisation outside of the chord changes and a band that wants to move beyond them entirely. This album will likely please fans of extreme metal who want to see what happens when the avant-garde crashes straight into it, without warning, without hope. Fortunately, the band is offering a free download of the album from their website so you can check it out for yourself.

Track Listing:
1. White Claudia
2. 12 Sycamores
3. Menthell
4. Poison in Your Food
5. Don't Eat My Legs
6. Origin
7. Bill Skins Fifth

Added: May 26th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Web Page
Hits: 2648
Language: english

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