Switchblade Rosie is an American progressive extreme metal band, and Nocturnal Guest is their second EP, which follows their previous one from 2010. Citing influences from Meshuggah, Death, John Coltrane, and Bach, you can guess that the band probably mix in some jazz and classical passages into their brand of technical extreme metal. Well, that is indeed the case here. No doubt the band have some serious chops, as some of the music combines Meshuggah or Between the Buried and Me styled heaviness and complexity with metalcore-ish vocals, throwing in some intricate jazz licks along the way for good measure. With only 4 tracks here, and most of them fairly short, there's not exactly a lot to judge the band by, but what is on display is fairly impressive. Vocalist Chris Aaron delivers both hardcore styled screams & shouts and clean vocals, and it's the melodic vocals that really stand out. His extreme vocals sound basically like everyone else and don't add much here. Guitarist Joe Gabaldon really is the star of the show, laying down a wide assortment of complex riffs and blazing solos throughout these tracks.
Other than the very fine "Gale Force Brutality", most of the songs here feel rushed and unfinished. You can get tell there's a talented band on board, but they haven't yet put all the pieces to the puzzle together. No doubt though Switchblade Rosie are a band to watch out for in the years to come...though I'm hoping they consider changing that name.
Track Listing
1.Shore Of Time
2.VO
3.Nocturnal Guest
4.Gale Force Brutality
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