Aliases Safer Than Reality
Mathcore/Progressive Metal l Basick Records
MEB Rating:
9.5
User Rating:
10
3 Ratings
Aliases have finally dropped their new album Safer Than Reality; ever since I heard about this band I have been waiting patiently for them to release something. When the first single off the album, “What’s Left For Us?,” was released a couple months ago, I was excited that Pin (guitarist) has decided to continue in the same chaotic progressive mathcore vein that was achieved by one of my all-time favorite bands, SiKth. This band doesn’t have the same randomly placed compositions that SiKth had, but they still hold many of the influences.
They couldn’t have picked a better song than “What’s Left For Us?” to tease the masses with. The train of destruction begins early with Pin’s legendary guitar work and Darren Pugh’s pounding drums to fuel the engine. You can really hear Joe Heaton’s bass quite well and I think that it really gives the track a deeper depth instead of the normal “lighter” sound that is relevant in a lot of progressive bands of today. By that I mean that you can’t really hear the bass at all in other bands and the guitars are what overlay everything else.
The mixing of Safer Than Reality is phenomenal. It gives each and every instrument room to breathe equally instead of favoring one specific instrument or the vocals. The tandem of Leah Woodward and Pin play off each other flawlessly, while the bass provides some sort of foundation amidst the chaos. The drums and bass play well off of each other as well, and the Jay Berast’s alternations between screaming and singing are awesome. On the track “Reality of Beliefs,” you will see one of the best examples of this.
One of my favorite tracks of 2011 so far is “All That Glitters is Gold.” Groovy is not a word I will probably ever use again, but it’s got that certain groove that can really get your head (if not your body) moving. The beginning doesn’t lead you on about what the rest of the track holds in store for you, as it’s mostly fingers fucking the fretboard and drums laying it down, then at about the :28 mark it gets interesting. If you’ve ever heard the SiKth song “Beyond the Fond Old River,” you will have some idea on what kind of funk is laid down here. It’s unique to me because you usually hear the bass overall, but in fact it’s the mix of guitars and drums that does the job. I can see people dancing to this song live.
The speed of the mini-album is in the song “While I Drown.” With the stop-go-stop guitars that are like a speeding car stopping on a dime and Berast throwing it down on the mic, there’s a lot of energy to be expelled by listening to this song. The drumming is most impressive here. They are all over the kit but singular on the ears. I want to see a drum cam for this song to see how it’s done.
I think this album will win over a lot of people. All it takes is a couple good tours and Aliases will see a lot of success. If you are a fan of SiKth like I am, then this is the album you have been waiting for. If you are a fan of the whole progressive metal (or djent) movement that has swept the nation in the past couple years, then consider this album to be somewhere at the top of the pile.
You can go watch the music video for “What’s Left For Us?” on Youtube here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMF41D8h1kE) and download the song for free in the info section on the page.
Author: Ridge Briel View Staff Page for Ridge Briel
(3 votes, average: 10.00 out of 10)
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