Sometimes even I get scared when I read and see what's going on out there in the world. I don't have to look far; it’s enough to see what recently happened at the Friedrichstraße station in Berlin. How can one confront the horror out there? And how can people be treated? Maybe by starting a band and playing on their instruments until they feel relaxed.
These were my first thoughts when I listened to this album for the first time. From the cover, I expected some trashy '80s metal glam hard rock. Even though the lady on the cover looks sweet and seductive, what comes out of the speakers is something entirely different. The dark side comes to the fore!
THE BAND APART hail from Madrid and have decided to release their new work through Noizgate Records from Bielefeld. A label that has so far become known for some deathcore releases.
With THE BAND APART, however, the Bielefeld folks have really hit the mark.
The Spaniards have been causing a ruckus in southern Europe for six years, but they have also traveled through Holland, Belgium, and Germany. What they leave behind will be ashes and destruction.
THE BAND APART is the result of the formula. Anger + Skill + Speed + Stamina.
The band blasts through the nine songs so intensely that it makes me anxious. And they maintain that pace for all nine songs. Of course, there are some slower parts, but they are few and far between. Most of the time, it’s full throttle. The great thing is that it’s fun. The band varies their sound skillfully, uses their effects devices adeptly, and the singer Glam growls and screams as if he has never done anything else, all packed into songs that, each on their own, are small masterpieces. The five of them may be doing nothing more than modern death metal/thrash metal in my eyes, but since the deathcore label is more accessible for today’s trendy kids, let it be that label.
THE BAND APART mislead with the trashy, sexy cover into thinking they are something they are not, but they also refresh in doing so. In this area, almost every cover is dark, and the Spaniards make an exception. I like that. I think it’s good.
Lyrically, one could say the band has seen too many horror movies, but the ones that are funny, that are cynical, and that make you laugh more than they scare you. The guys are completely politically incorrect and offbeat, but strangely enough, that’s fun. Kind of like the local heroes or Pöbel & Gesocks in the punk genre. They may not be for everyone, but everyone knows them, can sing along, and has fun doing so.
THE BAND APART, the best I’ve heard from the deathcore genre in a long time.
