Skiltron – Legacy of Blood
19th October 2016Nebrus – Extra Malorvm
1st November 2016Scarlett D. Gray – Scarlett D. Gray
Label: Buil2Kill / Release Date: 20th May 2013
I am not going to lie: Scarlett D. Gray is a band that is far removed from anything that I usually submit my ears to. The five Italians are something as rare (in my square, familiar world at least) as a Gothic Rock band. In this case this means a synthesized, keyboard-accompanied and somewhat melancholic version of what Rock sounds like today (albeit cranked up a bit – I will give them that). Musically Scarlett D. Gray seem to portray much of what can also be seen in Gothic Metal bands; Most noticeably the very catchy melodies, the focus on rhythm and the overall feel of strong emotions permeading every single chord. I am not concluding that Scarlett D. Gray is a bad band; Nor am I inclined to believe that this is the last that I will be hearing of them. In fact, Scarlett D. Gray was a quite pleasant surprise, given that the simple cover art portraying three victorian age gentlemen threw me and caused me to expect something else entirely. Instead, I was introduced to a band that might well be what a more Gothic and less Industrial version of Deathstars might sound like (although with clean, more traditional vocals instead of the gravelling utterances that Deathstars use) – Not that I am complaining). All in all, the band has managed to exploit what they and their kinsmen seem unusually good at: Creating powerful, catchy and highly melodic music, this time in Rock form. And, despite being their self-titled debut album, the record is surprisingly well executed and produced. And, as I have stated for what seems like a ridiculous amount of times in a short written span, tracks such as ”Never Forget Me”, the first track on the album, are very catchy and, I imagine, quite memorable. Recommended for fans of Deathstars, Within Temptation and Evanescence.