Found this band while I was on Youtube looking for random death metal, for which I have developed an insatiable hunger for lately. The Raven Autarchy is a pleasant find even though I was initially put off by the deathcore tag. The music is equal parts technial, deathcore and neoclassical (especially those leads). Without delaying further:
Audio: Well, it's the same overcompressed overprocessed clean audio at DR4 or DR5. Sterile production is good when done right but overcompressed music has no excuses. I have never heard an album that was 'enchanced' by being more compressed. Drumming is serviceable but too clean, bass is very hard to hear.
Instruments: Oh man. The technicality is nothing special by technical death metal standards but the leads are a complete breath of fresh air, which is what attracted me to this album in the first place. It's really just classical music. Not in the dark sounding solos by Jeff Loomis kind of classical, it's pretty standard classical. It sounds positive and a bit out of place at first but they do work well in the context of the songs.
Songwriting: Here's the thing though, the songs might sound the same if you are not used to the classical sound. I like that none of the songs necessarily stand out and that the songs are tastefully short. The album is barely thirty minutes, so the songs fly by really quickly and have a large replay value. However, melodic or not, the album barely rises above the typical deathcore standard. Verse chorus verse chorus breakdown, it's in almost every song.
Overall: This isn't going to be an album of the year contender for me, but I had a lot of fun listening to this record, A lot. The leads are not typical metal, no pretentious 'progressive' indulgences (something many bands abuse today). Its not just great for working out, but even for casual listens when in commute. I do however wish there was a little bit more wankery with the guitar, most of the time the leads serve as a melodic backdrop behind the chugging deathcore riffs and there aren't many traditional long guitar solos. A bit more variety in songcraft would go a long way, too. I haven't heard this band's back catalog, but I am really intrigued to see where this band will take us in the future. A lot of potential.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
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