"Melodic Black / Death Metal".
"Well, this could be something," I thought to myself. Especially since I can't relate to this genre at all. Yes, I know I say this quite often, but so far I have successfully avoided everything related to this genre. All that remains for me is a bit of background knowledge from people who have tried to prepare me for this topic (unsuccessfully): "Well, it's actually quite simple. You often make a very low-quality recording, scream desperate lyrics into the microphone, and just upload the whole thing." That already sounds somewhat frightening... let's see if the Lake Constance band "Satyros" also fits this pattern with their work "Riven".
Anyone who cannot really agree with this definition will probably be banging their heads against the wall, but unfortunately, I have to admit that "Satyros" partially meets these criteria. The recordings all sound a bit "less professional," which in my eyes is rather a positive point. I prefer this to highly sterilized and remixed rock, where all naturalness has been removed to get closer to "perfection." Due to this lack of professionalism, there is a certain "life" and "humanity" in the music that radiates some sympathy. Vocals and instruments can be described as "background" and seem not very dominant. This should work well if you don't want to pay much attention to the lyrics (which you won't understand anyway) but just want some atmospheric music in the background.
Of course, the instrumental arrangement is also very nice – and here comes the surprise – it features everything from hard to melodic and provides me with an interesting and varied backdrop with different instruments. String instruments and synthesizers make a nice appearance and round off the typical guitar-bass-drums experience well. The fact that I have only encountered the typical uniform mush so far, where only monotonous playing and screaming occurred, works in favor of "Satyros." Therefore, the Lake Constance band seems a bit more authentic and makes me more curious than the generic grunting of many other representatives.
The only downside is that the singer apparently has no desire for a positive review. Even though there are a few variations here (roaring and screaming), the vocals don't really fit into the overall concept of the band and discourage me from listening to the songs further, even though I would like to. To me, the whole screamo parts sound more like "Ouch, my hammer fell on my foot while working," rather than proper vocal work. But here, tastes will also diverge significantly. I shouldn't really consider myself a child of Black/Death Metal, and that should be mentioned for the sake of fairness.
For this reason, I am simply not opportunistic and like to place myself in the middle: 5 points. Fans might be banging their heads in disbelief and perhaps want to curse me in the form of a sacrificial animal because I only gave this band 5 points, while the haters might shake their heads in disbelief, wanting to burn me at the stake and asking where I got the remaining 4 points from. I say: "Satyros" only partially hits my taste center. I really like the musical composition throughout, but the enjoyment is completely ruined by the singer and annoys me rather than entertains me. However, I still appreciate the qualities the band has achieved: the art of using instruments in a way that captivates me and lets me float in thought.
With a purely instrumental album, I could have certainly given a point or two more, but here the entirety must be considered for the evaluation. What a pity.
But if you are into melody, death, black, and a bit of metal, you should take a look into the dark realms of Lake Constance instead of paying any attention to the ramblings of a "non-believer." Download the album for free (which I think is very good, by the way) via the Myspace link above and enjoy the music that awaits you.
