Frameless Scar
No Season Fits My Surroundings EP
7
I love reviewing EPs and MCDs. In the time it takes to listen to a full length album twice, I’ve already listened to this mini debut by Denmark’s Frameless Scar five or six times. What makes this disc even better is that the twenty-ish minutes of metal is pretty damn good. This Danish five-piece play sullen melodic death metal that draws from a large pool of influences. Like many young bands that attempt to create something great from a combination of separate sources, at times the ambition can surpass the songwriting abilities of the band. But when they do lock in, the results are impressive.
The first minute of the first song, “18 Nine” had me thinking that I had stumbled across a rare gem. A chilling clean guitar line leads into a short sung clip, and from there it’s a voyage narrated by Amon Amarth. Shortly after, a little bit of Dark Tranquillity shines through, leading up to a first-rate solo. “In Me” I found to be rather lifeless, but it serves as an example of their varied vocal stylings, from a standard gruff tone, then a little bit of screaming, then a little bit of clean, all atop a rhythm line that is culled from the Meshuggah school. Portions of “I Fit My Surroundings” border on doom metal, sounding like the excellent Swallow the Sun. The middle instrumental interlude and the outro brings to mind Insomnium, so at least they are taking cues from very worthy bands. The last song, “My Philosophy” takes an initial detour into slow, gritty death metal, until that’s interrupted by the Jerry Cantrell-like (?!?) vocals of the chorus. It’s an interesting change of pace, but it works better than expected. Yet another formidable melodic solo closes things out nicely.
This short little MCD showcases a new band with a ton of promise if they can develop their songwriting skills further. The soloing and guitarwork is definitely there, as are the vocals and rhythm section, all they really need is more efficient arrangements and the labels will be fighting for the honor. “18 Nine” and “My Philosophy” are there to download on their website, and I urge you all to check those two out, while I wait impatiently for a full-length release.
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Frameless ScarShadow of A Dying Dream
7/5/2006