Red Tear Memory
Scapegrace
5.8
Alright people, who’s up for some extremely run of the mill Scandinavian influenced melodic death metalcore out of Phoenix, Arizona, only without much melody? Going once…going twice…uhh, three times? Hello? Okay, so obviously there aren’t a whole lot of vacancies available in this crowded genus nor will there ever be again, and anyone who’s anyone in the world of metal knows this already.
Scapegrace is a six song, 27 minute ride through the basics that the melo-deathcore genre has to offer. The riffs are there, for the most part, with plenty of ‘triplet-triplet-note-note-triplet-note-note-triplet’ thrashery going on, some chugga-chug open note double kick synchronicity, a surplus of speedy single note shredding, and a few chunky neck cracking breakdowns…basically this band is all about the riff and that’s not always a bad thing. One of the main problems for me is that many of these riffs sound extremely bland mainly because there is a minimal amount of melody going on which is really what this genre has leaned on over the years to make it work. What would help spice these riff structures up some and give the band a better chance at getting away with playing them would be some simple melody thrown over the top. A lead or two here and there would definitely help the cause as well, as there is not a single one. It may seem like I beat this fact to death every time I run across a band with a complete lack of melodic hook, but the fact is simple, unless you’re doing something downright amazing riff-wise then you’d better toss in some tasty nuggets into the mix to distract the listener from such insipidness. While blast beats work well in brutal death, grindcore or black metal, I’ve never felt they do much for other styles of metal. That holds true in this case, as the blasts heard here seem a bit inconsistently performed and almost overbearing, not to mention the kicks seem a tad off kilter from time to time as well, showing a lack of confidence and discipline. As a big time fan of big time drums, my suggestion would be to spend a little less time working on the blast and give your toms and cymbals some much needed love. Some huge fills will help the transitions by giving them more flair and the result will be one of smoothness versus one of pure in your face dullness. The vocals are pretty standard through and through, with growling that flirts with some high-end shrieks and some low end girth. While it appears that they sound a bit strained at times, most extreme vocalists do, and it’s just a matter of whether or not the throat can handle it for the long haul. Take care of that voice, it’s the only one you have and it will take a beating spewing out this style of vocalization if not treated properly.
At the end of the day this is not something I can recommend purchasing. There are some tracks on their site that are worth a listen if this is your bag, but beyond that we’ll have to wait and see how the band grows and what they bring to the table next time around. Again, the foundation has been set in place; now it’s time to build the framework and find some identity. If the group can add the melodic dimension to their already sturdy basecoat, then they will certainly have a better shot at garnering some attention. That being said I feel Red Tear Memory has at the very least come up with a solid enough rough draft that with the right amount of tweakage might earn them some notoriety in the future. Just not today.
