Videoclip of the Month!!!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Insane Therapy - Veil Of Silence

Insane Therapy - Veil Of Silence

 

Veil Of Silence is Insane Therapy’s debut release and it was released in 2010. These guys are primarily death metal influenced hardcore but seem to have some very strong classic thrash metal influence thrown in there. The new wave of “core” music never ceases to impress me because there are always bands like this pulling music out of the bag like no one has done before. Many outsiders of the genre perceive this style of music as having limitations, this essentially proves this theory wrong.

The first thing that hit me when I first started playing this track is how much thrash influence was in their music. It’s actually rarer than what people think when it comes to the hardcore/death metal/core mix. It really does sound like they have stolen half of the riffs from classic thrash metal songs. I swear there is a part in one of the tracks where the riffs sound exactly like the main ones from Metallica’s Master Of Puppets. Even the music gives off vibes saying “hey, I’m thrash metal”, that being said, they aren’t pure thrash. Their song structure and musical styles are still fairly far off from being anywhere close to thrash metal, so I’m only guessing that there are thrash metal influences at play here.

Now it’s also clear that these guys have obvious extreme metal influences at play as well, particularly coming from death metal. Some might argue that these guys are actually influenced by deathcore more than generic death metal but in this context it’s safe to say either one. These guys display everything a deathcore band would normally display. They have breakdowns, pig squeals and the typical speed that your average deathcore band would play at. The only thing that really sets this band apart really is that these guys seem to have a more melodic/organised song structure. The styles of riffs used are what you would normally find in ‘core’ band as well (not necessarily deathcore).

I think that the final major element that this music contains is probably the hardcore element to the music. It is basically fills all the different gaps when it comes to trying to sort this band into a specific genre. There is a really (and I mean really) strong hardcore vibe to their music as well, sure it might not be your conventional style of “in your face” hardcore but the influence is still there. I believe the hardcore element just wraps the whole ep together. Not only that, but it seems to all a little more character to the music because bands with a combination of death metal, hardcore and thrash metal don’t really come around often.

Now there is one aspect of “core” music that these guys have left out, and that’s emotion. There are almost no traces of emotion in this demo. I mean sure, there might be a few snippets here and there but there is nothing that really creates an emotional connection with the listener.  But there is something else, at times the music sounds dark. It’s not suicidal or anything along those lines, it’s more like the kind of darkness that bands try and include in there breakdowns. It’s that droney sound that drags each note for a long time. I think they have utilized it very affectively throughout the entire demo.

The next thing that I liked about this demo that it’s in a decent quality, there is nothing worse than an ambitious band cutting its budget and starting their young musical careers with a footnote release. These guys are obviously serious about their music and would like to take the genre to the next level. The recording is clear and crisp as well as the mixing which is equally important.

Musically these guys actually quite good, the music is fairly tight and I cannot pick up any fallen or loose notes throughout the whole demo.  Also, I think that each band member has pulled their weight and there aren’t any slackers. The music itself isn’t really complex, they have chosen to play it simple for the first time. I actually encourage bands to do this because it helps them find their sound and you know what they say “keep it simple stupid”. There’s nothing overly insane or technical about these guys. In fact, in comparison with other bands in their respected genres, these guys actually sound fairly laid back.

The vocalist has done an excellent job in this demo and from what I’ve heard he is fairly talented. He primarily utilizes his ordinary hardcore style fry screams. It’s nothing special really, there are plenty of bands out there who use this style. Especially the new wave of metalcore/hardcore bands, that mix their musical styles with death metal. Now like I’ve mentioned before, there are really strong death metal influences here. As soon as I heard the pig squeals rolling in, I realised I was correct and I had a sense victory. His pig squeals are a little different from normal ones, they sound more jagged and rough, almost like a cricket. They like to drag them on as well so rather than sounding like “bree bree bree” it’s more like “breeeeeeeee”, which is more of a death metal trait than a deathcore one.

The guitar playing isn’t really special either, the styles must have been utilized somewhere else because they sound very familiar. In fact the style of riffs that are played sound a lot like nu metal or industrial style, or someone could go out of their way to say that they sound similar to Slipknot of Trivium at times. The distortions of the guitars are fashioned in a hardcore manner as well. Now the thing that I like most about the guitars is that they seem to be a blend hardcore and death metal styles. When I mean blended I actually mean they are blended together, it’s not like where one section has death metal riffs and another has hardcore riffs, it doesn’t work that way. They have a fairy high speed of tremolo picking and combine it with the chords that are normally played in “core” music.

The drumming is not bad as well but like all the other instruments it’s quite mediocre. I’m not sureif they have tried to blast their beats but for some reason the drums sound quite and bland. It’s probably the only thing that is recorded in low quality out of all their instruments. I mean, even the double kick packs more of a punch than blast beating. Anyway, he doesn’t really play as fast as what death metal bands would play either, but not as slow as hardcore bands. I’d say it’s somewhere in the middle of the two.

This is only a four track promo and there isn’t that much variety when it comes to different moods and atmospheres. All of the tracks have a basic song structure and vibe to them, so there is no point mentioning all of the tracks. My favourite track on the whole demo would probably have to be Can You Hear Me? because it is the only track that shows off the best of Insane Therapy. It has clean vocals, gut busting double bass drumming, pig squeals and clean vocals. Also, it’s the most melodic and well structured track in the whole demo in my opinion.

Overall, this isn’t a really bad way to start off a career, I mean all of the component are there. The thing that I think is the main problem with this band is that they haven’t found their sound yet. The practically everything seems to have been stolen from many other bands and genres, everything down to the last break down. This in turn makes the music sound extremely bland and I’m not sure if this is what the band was trying to make us perceive. Now I think all of the tracks are the same in the sense that they all give out the same vibes and feeling. So I am only going to recommend the track Can You Hear Me? because I think that it’s a little better than the rest. I recommend that all “core” fans (especially fans of Trivium) should give this a go because it’s not bad. I’m not sure about recommending this to death metal fans though because I’m not sure where they stand when it comes to hybrid genres. Overall, this is an ok demo, it does need a little tuning and maybe a little more originality. In general I give Insane Therapy’s Pierce The Veil a 13/20. 


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