4. Safer Than Reality – Aliases
As with anything that has been over-hyped, the “djent” genre had its fair share of failures and disappointments this year. The metal sub-genre seems to have already created its own backlash with many bands trying to distance themselves from the dreaded “D word”. However, there were also a few shining lights that justified the hype, none of them shining brighter than the debut release from British band (with a French vocalist), Aliases. Having been born out of the ashes of the revered SiKth, Aliases let loose the most interesting and exciting metal release of 2011. I should say though that, for me, Aliases only real connection with the djent movement is their association with UK label Basick Records. Their sound is something much more akin to the spazzed out take on math metal produced by The Dillinger Escape Plan. While their music is, without a doubt, highly technical, it does not descend into the boring drone that some djent bands finds themselves trapped in. Aliases deliver songs that are hard, aggressive, in your face and not once, do you feel as though they are just going through the motions. Much of the credit should go to the spectacular riffage of main man PIN (of SiKth fame) and his partner in fret board freak outs, Leah Woodward. The unexpected twists and turns that each song takes leave you wondering how, exactly, they remember which section comes after each one that came before. The true highlight of this album though, is Jay Berast’s vocals. Where many djent vocalists switch between guttural growling/screaming and super clean vocals, Berast uses his full range and blurs the lines between the two, which means that he avoids the monotony of constant barking and the inevitable “whine” that comes with vocals that are too clean. Overall, this is an extremely exciting release that can only be a strong indication of things to come. Let’s just hope the band doesn’t go the way SiKth did and fall apart just before conquering the metal world.
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