Distorted
Voices From Within
6
As one of only a few Israeli metal bands with decent worldwide distribution, Distorted is interesting not only for its geographic location but for its ability to incorporate a smorgasbord of cultural elements into its sound. Fortunately, they manage to hone these variances into something more cohesive than some of their counterparts. If that's enough to warrant your attention is really a product of your own stylistic inclinations.
We often associate a gothic overtone with most metal bands with a female vocalist, and while Distorted does little to impede such an association, what little they do makes Voices From Within a far more interesting venture than the gothic tag would suggest. One could say that they do just enough to separate themselves from the absolute crap that plagues most treading similar territory. I mean, let's be honest: Outside of the pale, overweight and overly decorated full moons masquerading as humans that we see galavanting at "dark metal" shows, who likes that cheesy stuff anyways?
As important as Miri Milman and Raffy Mor are to the band's identity, it is the guitar work of Benny Zohar that shines brightest. After all, Milman has a good, but not exactly unique voice, and Mor's harsh vocals, while complimentary to Milman's tone, do even less to personalize Distorted's sound. Songs like "Consistent Duality" and "Fading" that feature a more aggressive and urgent feel help vary the pace on what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill release. The little nuances in the riffs and the subtle attention to detail make Voices From Within have some replay value.
Fans of melancholic female vocals will be drawn to Distorted, but the rest of us need just a little more than said vocals to keep us interested. Unfortunately, while the guitar work is often commendable, it's not entirely remarkable, and there are bands out there that do the dual vocal thing better than this one.
