Review of Ava Inferi - Burdens

I do enjoy a record that starts with something melancholy, as long as it never gets maudlin. That’s why Goth doesn’t appeal to me. It is the cheesy sister of power metal. Yes, both CAN be done well, but it’s such a precipitous and treacherous dance on the edge of that cheddary chasm, and so few metal musicians are versed in what's necessary to maintain that balance.

This record grabbed me off the bat with its depressing opening riff played over a descending scale. But it almost lost me once the full weight of the lackluster production quality was evidenced. I want Godflesh style production, I suppose, for something like this. It would make it metal, and I like metal. Instead it’s all very hollow and distant and dreary. And that’s what you fucking freaks like, isn’t it?

The songs are well written and hold quite a bit of real promise as metal songs. The band has a fantastic sense of where they want to go. The chords come crashing like waves of doom, the rhythms are never overly mathematical, but vary enough to be called tasteful. If there was something caustic here I would declare this band a must hear. Unfortunately it’s all rather staid by the bland production. Clear enough, definitely, but it’s like a razor blade with a dull edge.

Now, there is the matter of the singer, a woman of tonal beauty with an unfortunate tendency to occasionally walk on the music with little witchy pronouncements and cackles. Yeah, I don’t want a full album of operatic vocals either, but the hissing and mumbling is nothing more than a distraction. Another thing, and as always, would someone come into the studio during one of the weightier moments of this lady’s performance and rake her thighs with forks or electrocute her under the chin? Get some METAL in this thing! Either way, drop the hissing stuff and stick to your strengths.

Geh…bottom line…erm… well, shit, I tell you, I really like the songwriting a lot and I really like the performances by the musicians. I do not like the recording and I truly wish the singer lady would spew a little blood. On the WHOLE, I think this is a pretty good record that could have been great with some different decisions here and there. But I am a metalhead, so when it comes to music this gothy and dreary, you better take my words with more than a little salt. If you have any gothfag in you at all, I say run out and kill yourself, but buy this first. I think you will be… happy…um…pleased…er… satisfied with it. If you are a metalhead with a history of depression like myself, there is definitely something here to grab onto. If you are just a metalhead who hates goth, forget it.

Release Details

Ava Inferi

Burdens

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