Scelerata
The Sniper
Nightmare Records
2012
Scelerata, are a Brazilian act, that has been going on for a while and started off a while ago, starting up as a fairly more melodic proposition and actually becoming a bit more metallic along the way while retaining their melodic sensibilities quite intact along the way. With “The Sniper” their third album, their first with new singer Fabio Juan, they seem to soldier on in a path laid before them by bands like Angra and Viper, much in the vein of supercharged Helloween, Edguy and the likes.
There’s relentless double bass drumming everywhere, that seems to drive the proceedings while fire spitting guitars erupt spewing out riffs and lighting fast solos in every possible direction following the neoclassical school of thought. But everything mingles so perfectly and everything is so well balanced that it feels rather organic and not forced.
Even Paul Di’Anno’s pretty much rotten vocals mix up pretty well on both the opener “Rising Sun” as well as it’s follow up “In my Blood” both, quite blazing tracks.
“Road to Death” doesn’t loosen the grip, and keep on pounding the listener.
“Breaking the Chains” too makes quite an entrance, as well as its presence felt, but could have been a bit more refined, I mean, if there’s something that our friends have yet to learn that probably is to contain themselves. As genuine southerners they are easily excitable, so they sort of put “everything into it” they must learn to control, their passion to make it “work”, then they will attain the maximum, of their ability.
“Unmasking Lies” is more like the more reminiscent of the more power metal moments of mid era Edguy and it’s a quite fine song.
“Must be Dreaming” features Andi Deris, of Helloween and formerly of PC69 and was also written by him, entirely and is a dark and rather endoscopic number with some unusual high wailing notes, by his Andiness. Nice! Weird, that he didn’t reserve this one for Helloween.
“Drowned in Madness”, continues the wailing vocal marathon and adds some demented spoken parts as well. Pretty sick ‘n twisted.
Then there’s the more “symphonic” and Queen/Savatage inspired, “Welcome Home” with its quite rich textures and multiple vocals that’s quite impressive and the triumphant.
“‘Til The Day We Die” that just maws down whatever may stand in its way, with its “eagle fly free” sort of defiant stanza.
“Money Painted Red” is only a fitting title for the intro to “The Sniper” the album’s namesake, represented by a grotesque skeletal clown mascot on the cover. As a track, it’s not bad, but it somehow, explores some rather progressive tendencies, with some “keyboard”(?) textures, making a rather inconspicuous appearance! At almost 10 minutes it’s a bit of an overkill, without being a bad track as per se!
Scelerata, are upping the ante. They are more than instrumentally able, their parts are interesting, their melodies infectious and by getting Charlie Bauerfiend to produce them, who was responsible, for the early Blind Guardian albums, for instance, they have managed to get a pretty solid sound too. The only thing is that they need to trim it down a bit and arrange it just a little better – cause it’s a bit like an overloaded Christmas tree! Oh and do write a couple of more impressive hooks, they still lack the big chorus, so they’re like the Christmas tree with lots of ornaments but missing the lights and the big star at the top so... until the next time... but – they’re certainly getting there. Next time, they’ll probably have arrived!
Watch out for them! For sure! Good singer too!
There’s relentless double bass drumming everywhere, that seems to drive the proceedings while fire spitting guitars erupt spewing out riffs and lighting fast solos in every possible direction following the neoclassical school of thought. But everything mingles so perfectly and everything is so well balanced that it feels rather organic and not forced.
Even Paul Di’Anno’s pretty much rotten vocals mix up pretty well on both the opener “Rising Sun” as well as it’s follow up “In my Blood” both, quite blazing tracks.
“Road to Death” doesn’t loosen the grip, and keep on pounding the listener.
“Breaking the Chains” too makes quite an entrance, as well as its presence felt, but could have been a bit more refined, I mean, if there’s something that our friends have yet to learn that probably is to contain themselves. As genuine southerners they are easily excitable, so they sort of put “everything into it” they must learn to control, their passion to make it “work”, then they will attain the maximum, of their ability.
“Unmasking Lies” is more like the more reminiscent of the more power metal moments of mid era Edguy and it’s a quite fine song.
“Must be Dreaming” features Andi Deris, of Helloween and formerly of PC69 and was also written by him, entirely and is a dark and rather endoscopic number with some unusual high wailing notes, by his Andiness. Nice! Weird, that he didn’t reserve this one for Helloween.
“Drowned in Madness”, continues the wailing vocal marathon and adds some demented spoken parts as well. Pretty sick ‘n twisted.
Then there’s the more “symphonic” and Queen/Savatage inspired, “Welcome Home” with its quite rich textures and multiple vocals that’s quite impressive and the triumphant.
“‘Til The Day We Die” that just maws down whatever may stand in its way, with its “eagle fly free” sort of defiant stanza.
“Money Painted Red” is only a fitting title for the intro to “The Sniper” the album’s namesake, represented by a grotesque skeletal clown mascot on the cover. As a track, it’s not bad, but it somehow, explores some rather progressive tendencies, with some “keyboard”(?) textures, making a rather inconspicuous appearance! At almost 10 minutes it’s a bit of an overkill, without being a bad track as per se!
Scelerata, are upping the ante. They are more than instrumentally able, their parts are interesting, their melodies infectious and by getting Charlie Bauerfiend to produce them, who was responsible, for the early Blind Guardian albums, for instance, they have managed to get a pretty solid sound too. The only thing is that they need to trim it down a bit and arrange it just a little better – cause it’s a bit like an overloaded Christmas tree! Oh and do write a couple of more impressive hooks, they still lack the big chorus, so they’re like the Christmas tree with lots of ornaments but missing the lights and the big star at the top so... until the next time... but – they’re certainly getting there. Next time, they’ll probably have arrived!
Watch out for them! For sure! Good singer too!