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Robert Of The Square

Time. Truth. Heart. EP

Written by: PP on 13/12/2011 04:05:39

A few months ago I stated that when it comes to mathcore, all roads don't lead to Rome, they lead to Botch instead. That certainly holds for the caustic and angular approach to riff-writing by Robert Of The Square from Trieste, Italy. Although the influence from the genre pioneers is there, however, they like to think outside of the box and bring in elements from sludge metal and post-metal into their mix as well.

At times, it means their debut EP "Time. Truth. Heart." is a visceral piece of mathcore where guitars zig-zag in all directions and the throaty vocals do their best at inflicting vibes of chaos to the soundscape, but it also means that the band isn't afraid to shift directions, use a wide variety of tempos, and add in more ambitious melodic sequences and ambience. It brings in a subdued element of beauty into the mix, immediately making Robert Of The Square sound more interesting than many of their peers.

The vocals deserve an extra mention for being particularly piercing and sharp, bringing to mind a rawer version of envy in this scribe's mind. Or more than just a couple of original screamo (or skramz) bands for that matter. But in any case, there's no need to make this review longer than it already is: "Time. Truth. Heart." is a record where a faithful rendition of a beloved genre meets its more ambitious counterpart in a manner that is, if not great, at least on its way of becoming solid.

Download: Dominio, Truth
For the fans of: Botch, Cult Of Luna, envy
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 09.10.2011
Hollow Earth Records