Brazen Tongue: Of Crackling Embers and Sorrows Drowned
Hey.
Metalperver loves underground. Thats not news though and unsigned, independent bands often contacts me with their new stuff. Its getting a bit overwhelming but I really wanted this to happen and I’m loving it. This time its Brazen Tongue, an unsigned duo from USA&Sweden, presenting its debut record. Of Crackling Embers and Sorrows Drowned is a melodic death/thrash metal record at its core, but Ethan Gifford (guitars) and Scott Skopec (guitars, vocals, keyboards) seems to be inspired from a variety of different genres and bands as well. Oh, and we have Kévin Paradis on drums as a guest musician. Not intrigued yet?
Well I’m sure the main riff of the The Weight of Self would do the trick. Paradis is a beast, and he’s known for having fun with the rhythms. Combination of melodic death metal leads and thrashing riffs with his contrasting rhythms, it feels fresh and creative. Underlying synthwork adds a symphonic/atmospheric feel, shifting between cleans/deep growls adding story-telling vibes and overall, its a great opener the show the potential of the band. This is not a one dimensional melodeath record with overly repeated cliché ideas, thats for sure.
Metaviral continues to deliver solid melodeath mood and riffage. Under four minutes, Brazen Tongue is really intense and bristles with energy. Vocals are somewhat reminding me Randy Blythe and Paradis’ remorseless double-bass drumming is highlighting those great riffs. Melodic, almost progressive leads are leading (pun intended) the way through very buoyantly.
However, when they venture on songs over 5+ minutes, Brazen Tongue starts losing its energetic, dynamic niche, becoming a band that feels like it has no focus or frame. Last Train from Myrdal is really a solid one with doomy references and choir parts, just dragging because of repetition. But especially The Recidivist, Beneath the Broken Trees and epic closer The Maddening Symmetries are not delivering the same excitement of the first half. There are some impressive axe work on Beneath the Broken Trees, some spider acrobatic leads on The Recidivist but these are just some sprinkles and overall, these songs are far from being memorable. I already started skipping the closer, which is around 10 minutes of a 43 minute-long record.
Its a mixed plate with some tasteful melodic delicacies and bland fillers but I think Brazen Tongue has real potential. With more focus on consistency, songwriting and hopefully with professional support from a good producer, I’m sure they’ll deliver better records that can fully satisfy melodic death band fans. I’ll stay on alert for the subsequent record. Don’t forget to check out their BANDCAMP if you’re interested.
70/100
