Raintime

Psychromatic

Written by: TL on 07/05/2010 00:21:46

Ahh Raintime - I remember reviewing this Italian sixpiece's former record, back when I was still wet behind my ears as a reviewer, knowing only of music what can be learned in the pages of Kerrang and off Gaffa.dk - Next to nothing that is, and hence, I'm not even going to revisit that review to see what nonsense I had to say about the band back then, rather I will be content with having a positive enough memory of the band, to have picked up their third album "Psychromatic" for review.

Most metallers will probably first vomit, then call upon Satan for protection, upon seeing Raintime's current myspace, because the approach of these guys is far from traditional both when it comes to sound and imagery. The music played can most accurately be described as modern metal, leaning heavily on melodeath influences, yet also carrying hints of both modern thrash, progressive and industrial here and there. While that might smell of disaster, it never becomes one, because Raintime have made in "Psychromatic", a record that seems to be aware that some people might actually want to listen to it. There's a focus here, on both sensibility and memorability, more so than on technicality and brutality.

Un-metal as some may think that is, it makes Raintime a band with a personality I will remember long after I've forgotten about your average super-complex tech-metal assault of today. Their simplistic riffs provide some solid grooves for you to rock out to, while keys add many a melody or floaty note to hook your memory, and while the singer Claudio Coassin does not have the greatest singing voice in modern history, I'll take his struggling, thrashy bark any day, if given the choice between that and the hordes of generic-core cookie-monster growlers out there. Sure he sounds grating on a few occasions, but hey, he sounds like a person and his voice translates both words and varying degrees of power in the songs to the listener, and again, this makes it so much easier to get into the music.

I'll admit though, that "Psychromatic" still isn't exactly fantastic. For that it is probably too polished and it has too little moments of pure awesomeness. It's slick production and forthcoming expression will likely be hard to swallow for traditional metal fans, but for people who like the modern stuff, it makes a damn consistent and characteristic listen. Many are the parts here which will have your head bopping and your feet tapping, as you recognize them after only a few listens, and it is also enjoyable to liberal music fans to hear Raintime include tricks here and there which aren't inherently metal - like the dance beat in "Turned Up And Down", or the riff in "Walk-On Actor" that sounds like something from the last From First To Last album. All in all, this is for once an inventive direction from the land of metal, and I encourage Raintime to pursue it further, because with just a slight improvement in vocals and some stronger choruses, the oddity of the band could turn into a full-fledged trumph, and hey, maybe they could make a much bigger name for themselves?

7

Download: Fire Ants, Turned Up And Down, Walk-On Actor
For The Fans Of: In Flames, Raunchy, Emergency Gate
Listen: myspace.com/raintime

Release Date 23.04.2010
Lifeforce Records

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