Rise Of Echoes

Rise Of Echoes EP

Written by: PP on 20/06/2011 22:18:23

It's EP day today, it seems. Next up we have a self-titled debut from a French band called Rise Of Echoes. Whenever you get a press sheet from a young up-and-coming band who claims their sound to be something along the lines of "alternative metal post-hardcore" as this band does for their self-titled EP, you can be sure to expect a sound that's all over the place for the time being from a band that's in a very early part of their career. That's precisely what's happening here, but don't bin this release just yet, and hear me out.

For starters, if you ever found yourself enjoying the particularly rough bark of Brock from 36 Crazyfists as well as the post-hardcore / nu-metal hybrid sound of their early years, then you'll find plenty to like on "Rise Of Echoes" EP. Distraught clean vocals make an occasional melodic intrusion on an otherwise aggressive screaming line that the band relies on most of the time, and for some incredibly weird reason, Linkin Park style DJ scratching stuff and electronics effects make an entrance in some songs detaching the sequences completely from the post-hardcore stuff that's otherwise going on. Think "Hybrid Theory"-era here, and you'll catch my drift. Granted, it can be semi-catchy, but it simply doesn't fit the rest of the songs on the record.

One clear criticism of the record, however, can be aimed at the screamed vocals. Though similar to Brock's, they aren't particularly good, and don't feel as intense and as strong as they probably should be. Either the latter needs to be ramped up significantly, or more melody needs to be introduced, such as on "Falling". This is the kind of song Rise Of Echoes need to write a lot more. Even though the mixing is horrible and the levels are unbalanced (hey, this is a self-production after all), the painfully sung "falling, falling" chorus is great and stands in good contrast to the screaming. There are also tranquil moments where the instruments quiet down for a bit, before the horror-chords are used again...basically classic quiet/loud dynamic like the textbooks taught you. There aren't enough of these on this EP, though, so here's my verdict: overall it's a fine start, but more work is needed before they'll become a serious contender in Europe.

6

Download: And Nobody Cares, Falling
For the fans of: 36 Crazyfists, Choriah
Listen: Myspace

Release date May 2010
Self-Released

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