Face Off - The Colour of Rain
CD Info
2013
Maple Metal Records
9 Tracks
English Lyrics
I usually favor the symphonic style of music, the operatic vocals are an add on for me, a very positive addition. One that takes the music to places I want to visit. But, I’ve been around long enough to have a reputation among friends for appreciating a crunching guitar, one that reminds us of the thunder we get with a Spring time thunder storm, that pounding sound that brings forth the animal in all of us. Nothing brings a full interpretation of life more clearly to mind, nothing, short of certain South American pharmaceutical recreational products well known in Miami, can take us to the realms of the gods with a greater sense of urgency. And damn, this Serbian bunch does it as well as anything I’ve heard in a long time. I was sitting around with SC owner John Wolff in Tampa recently and he put the CD on saying "check this guitar line". He then started banging out the air guitar lines like Eric Clapton on steroids as the Face Off guitar players took us to metal heaven. We don’t always get this from Europe although there are certainly some stellar guitar players that occasionally light up the metal skyline. But this is closer to full time full octane metal guitar, crushing metal to appease the gods and send us into places reserved for the immortals. Sitting still through this one is clear proof that your will is being probated as we speak. Your final transportation to the hearafter is arranged and financed; you’re on your way.
Well, I got some information back from the band, it’s a little confusing. According to some of the material, it’s a 5 person unit, two lead guitars, base, drums and lead vocal. But, in other material, it’s clearly a 3 person thing. But, the do say, "current lineup" when they provide names, most of which are a bit difficult to pronounce. The communications come from guitar abuser Stefan Vitasovic and I don’t know if he’s the main guitar player or just the best English speaker of the group. Of course, since he tells me that lyrics are developed by vocalist Marija Kovacevi I have to assume she speaks the language as well, albeit with a decidedly interesting and sexy accent. And, Stefan tells me our vocalist is a professional pianist. Interesting cause keyboards are surly not apparent here, although you could probably hide the sound of a small nuclear explosion behind the guitars and never notice. Stefan did write most of the music, which probably means the guitars were the central focus. . . I had actually figured that out earlier. But, he did have some interesting observations regarding the material: "The aim was to achieve slightly artistic approach to alternative metal genre. This was fully intended from the beginning of writing this record. The goal was to interleave heavy guitar music (mostly riff-based) with soothing, et, aggressive and even in times pop-ish vocal melodies. The band consists of very young and talented musicians, with a professional approach to the concept. All members listen to very diverse style of music which will result with some interesting material in the future which we are working on currently."
Yea, they are young, looks like the stuff on the cover of the first Cream album, which is before your time but in the same vein. Very young people creating very hard, solid material. Only this one comes with a female vocalist, and a pretty good one once you get past the guitars that sound like a Mark 19 fully automatic grenade launcher on full automatic. And the drums make sure you realize that guitars aren’t the only sound machines available, they pound like a regiment of 155mm large guns. This is metal marching music. And if you need proof, try this one. War Against War introduces the material in all its sound and fury. You get the crunching instrumental work, the solid femme vox and some interesting lyrical work:
Grey ruins are all around us,/ Spear of war, ripped our hearts out!
Vicious fog is haunting our sight,/ Sacred sky is no longer bright…
Let’s fight a war against war!
Interesting ideas from a part of the world that has seen its share of conflict, and it couldn’t be said better.
There is a Gothic component to much of the music however. On the title track we get the customary guitar frontal attack over the barrage from the drums. But, the message takes a different direction:
Can you see the colour of rain?/ Can you feel me fading away?
An illusion of game, with a real end,/ I’m an obsessive mind in new attempt.
Breathe life into me...
Different in a lyrical sense, but consistent in the crushing metal that drives the vast majority of this release. And this Gothic direction is covered on other tracks. Fragile takes us in this direction, with an introduction that hints to a softer musical theme. It’s a lie, a blatant lie. The lyrics, however, talk to a darker side of reality, one pounded out over the sounds of metal from the darker realms of reality:
I want to break the circle of pain, / I want to crush the borders of shame,
Like waterfall I’m shuddering in rain… / Fear of people is deep in my brain.
Now I’m going to get so close to you,/ Come find all dreams that I kept safe,
Somehow you’ll feel my voice inside of you,/ And find out something different, something new.
There are some guitar breaks in this one that are worth the price of admission. You just don’t get this crushing sound every day. Relish the opportunity.
One more to talk about, while I’m on a roll. This one is Voices. A little more focus on those drums we talked about. The guitars almost go melodic initially, a sin against nature on this release. But, the vocals bring us back to reality with a scorching requiem that talks to pain while the thunder builds back. We even get a hint of a male vocal here, probably a passing metal god from on high with thoughts to reinforce the prevailing message. Like we need it.
Well, Nightwish it ain’t. This one is for the heavy metal heads, you want your guitars loud and penetrating, this is for you. You want sounds to wake the dead, step right up. The message may be in the tradition of the Gothic, but the sounds are in the realm of Slayer, with better melodies and a better vocalist. Guaranteed to deliver you to the higher forms of eternity, with a beat. Metal never sounded better.
10 / 10
