Post by Djevara on Nov 3, 2010 19:29:18 GMT
Thank the gods metal had to evolve. Gone are the days of the almost mindless chugga-chugga riffs with equally banal throat wrenching screams labeled "vocals". While not a fan of metal per se, I do know there were redeeming qualities that I couldn't disregard; passion, intensity, attitude and a pure simplicity of being. That's why I have encouraged the slow transformation of the genre into what has become the Nu-metal sub-species. Now, I know, I know, Nu-metal has been around for a long time, it's just that it has never felt as defined as it does now with Djevara. It finally has found a perfectly evolved form, that is not a derivative, but a fully-formed entity all entirely its own.
While I could draw comparisons to Sevendust or Rage Against The Machine, Djevara grab these influences and take them beyond to a new plain of existence; adding acid-trippy distortion across the board to create an atmosphere past the music, an ambiance greater than the whole, while still maintaining my favorite parts of what metal truly is. What's more is that they do it with panache and intelligence, never succumbing to paying obeisance to any set style. That's how they completely own the material and successfully create the definitive definition of Nu-metal.
I can't escape the feel of the album - it manages to hypnotize while varying around the spectrum, creating nice ebbs and flows, but always maintaining that crucial intensity. Vocals give the biggest push to the sound as the double-layered psychedelic lines give the greatest emphasis to what is a hard or slow song, and create some choice anthems. Guitars are nothing mind-blowing but they sure know what they are doing as they give interesting divergence between the heavy sections and the purely melodic. Drums pound away ceaselessly, accurately using double bass without killing it to the point of annoyance. Production does an adept job of balancing all of these actions forming intricate songs that fit the theme of the entire album.
So forget what you know about other contenders to the crown of Nu-metal. We have a new King, by which all other pretenders will now be measured against.
Long live the King.
-bishop
www.hybridmagazine.com/reviews/0407/djevara.shtml
While I could draw comparisons to Sevendust or Rage Against The Machine, Djevara grab these influences and take them beyond to a new plain of existence; adding acid-trippy distortion across the board to create an atmosphere past the music, an ambiance greater than the whole, while still maintaining my favorite parts of what metal truly is. What's more is that they do it with panache and intelligence, never succumbing to paying obeisance to any set style. That's how they completely own the material and successfully create the definitive definition of Nu-metal.
I can't escape the feel of the album - it manages to hypnotize while varying around the spectrum, creating nice ebbs and flows, but always maintaining that crucial intensity. Vocals give the biggest push to the sound as the double-layered psychedelic lines give the greatest emphasis to what is a hard or slow song, and create some choice anthems. Guitars are nothing mind-blowing but they sure know what they are doing as they give interesting divergence between the heavy sections and the purely melodic. Drums pound away ceaselessly, accurately using double bass without killing it to the point of annoyance. Production does an adept job of balancing all of these actions forming intricate songs that fit the theme of the entire album.
So forget what you know about other contenders to the crown of Nu-metal. We have a new King, by which all other pretenders will now be measured against.
Long live the King.
-bishop
www.hybridmagazine.com/reviews/0407/djevara.shtml