Unvoiced
7th Abyss
This album is definitely a unique listen and a very energetic ride. 7th ABYSS have been classified as everything from Death Metal to Melodic Death, to even Metalcore, but really the band is none of those while also being all of those things. The star of the album is Andreas Muller; his vocals are ever shifting and often times sound down right insane. On part of "Deaf", he sounds like a barking dog, so low and punctuated are his Death Vocals. The ending of the song features his clean vocals and they do sound a bit like a typical Metalcore singer but thankfully it isn't the norm for most of the album or his performance. On "Lost Eternity," he brings in a more classic 80's style vocal style, like ACCEPT or KROKUS but with obviously more edge thrown in.
The title track begins with him doing true death metal vocals then suddenly switching back to his classic metal voice but randomly throwing in somewhat spoken word parts, done in a lower register clean voice that make him sound like Anselmo...or Manson. Really, this guy is one hell of a front man and even if the music sucked (it doesn't), this band would still be worth giving a listen just because of his performance. "Don't Take Blowjobs from the Prime Time Whore" is such a weird track. Musically, it takes itself very seriously as a Melodic Death song...lyrically, its tongue in cheek. Miller's vocal cords are run through a gauntlet, even featuring low and high Death vocals mixed together.
Musically, the album is very solid. "Into The Abyss" is one of the best intro tracks I've heard in a long time. The minimalist melody backed by simple heavy guitars is made extremely atmospheric with the sounds of a storm in the background. Honestly, I wish the rest of the album had more touches like that; as good as it is, a little atmosphere would go a long way to make it even better. As it is, the overall sound tends to lean towards a more modern melodic death metal direction but they do change it often enough to keep things interesting. "Lost Eternity" towards the end has a more groove, thrashy feel to it before returning once again to the melodic roots, with some impressive dual melodies played by Klein and Bieberstein. The beginning of "Deaf", reminds me of BORN OF OSIRIS, what with the chopping riffing and off timed melodic lead. Around the 2:46 mark, Metalcore rears its ugly head with a break down that almost made me want to go by an affliction shirt but the song, and guitars, quickly reroute themselves. "Memories of Lies" has some guitar that has a groove that would make both PANTERA and LAMB OF GOD proud. The song's guitar solo is a nice touch as it speeds up as it goes along, coming off like the modern era of MEGADETH.
Alexander Deitz is one of the main song writers of the band; he shows off his musical chops thru the writing but there isn't much going on with the bass guitar that he also plays. It isn't bad by any means but it doesn't make itself interesting as the other instruments. That could be due to the production that, while very clear and clean, is too loud especially with the vocals. Drummer Matthias Krapp works very well with the guitars, as noted in "Lost Eternity." While the guitar melodies are hammering in, the drums hammering as well but not enough to over power. I especially like his bass drum work; in "Schwester Rabiata," he sounds like a cannon blasting through the wall. This album was a fun ride and I think it does a good job in bridging the gap between mainstream and Extreme Metal, something that Metalcore has failed to do. If they can remove some of the Metalcore elements they still have, I think their next album could be a masterpiece.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Unvoiced" Track-listing:
1. Into The Abyss
2. Lost Eternity
3. Deaf
4. Unvoiced
5. Nightmare at the Fields
6. Don't Take Blowjobs from the Prime Time Whorees
7. Memories of Lies
8. Despaired (Cause I'm Dissapointed Bout the Dead)
9. Not. That. Day.
10. Point of View
11. Schwester Rabiata
7th Abyss Lineup:
Alexander Dietz - Bass, Songwriting
Andreas Muller - Vocals, Lyrics
Robert Klein - Lead Guitar, songwriting
Daniel Bieberstein - Rhythm Guitar
Matthias Krapp - Drums
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