Before the End
Liar Symphony
•
December 12, 2014

Together in their second incarnation after a 4 year break, LIAR SYMPHONY is a quintet of musicians who perform in a classic Heavy Metal style, adding a lot of Power and Progressive nuances to their sound. Their fifth studio album "Before the End" contains a new keyboardist in Alécio Rodrigues, and it's my first exposure to these Brazilians - so I expect a lot of passion and attention to detail for these 12 tracks.
As a vocalist, Nuno Monteiro has a very dramatic and expressive nature to his voice - obviously adept in the art of holding out certain notes and changing up the delivery from more of a Traditional singer into some of the Power/Thrash-like snarls and screams. Check out "Sleeping Dead" for instance, and you can hear semblances of Ralf Scheepers, Andy B Franck of BRAINSTORM and others who fluctuate between pure grace and grit. Musically, the band has a lot of older Traditional/Power qualities that are in line with US bands like SAVATAGE or Germany's MOB RULES, but occasionally add a touch of that Modern spark in trailing notes or Symphonic-like keyboard touches. "Waste Land" for instance has a Kirk Hammett-like wah wah element during the lead break amidst Pedro Esteves' obvious technical/shred abilities, and the closing moments veer into those MACHINE HEAD / "Davidian" guitar bends while drummer Anderson Alarca performs blitzkrieg drum rolls.
LIAR SYMPHONY appear very comfortable in a mid-tempo anthem format - the ACCEPT meets PRIMAL FEAR oriented "After Years" perfect for simulation air guitar maneuvers, the keyboards very explosive in a DREAM THEATER -like charm. Acoustic guitars also factor into a lot of the songs in the second half of this record, giving your ears a little melodic respite even though the band isn't really that brutal in terms of electric guitar tonality. A 62 minute album can be cumbersome, but solider through as one of the more dramatic arrangements occurs on the eleventh track "Prisoner in the Mirror" - a 7 minute plus song featuring a stirring bass line, equally magical vocal melodies and a vibe that recalls classic SAVATAGE.
Originally together from 1993-2010, I'm glad the quintet decided to give this another shot - as "Before the End" will meet much approval from those who love Heavy Metal from the late 80's with a little more drama and modern punch to the proceedings.<
8 / 10
Excellent

"Before the End" Track-listing:
1. Welcome
2. Self Destruction
3. Sleeping Dead
4. The Fool
5. Waste Land
6. Digital Living
7. After Years
8. When the Sun Light Dies
9.Born Again
10. Where the Wind Blows To
11. Prisoner in the Mirror
12. The Lament
Liar Symphony Lineup:
Nuno Monteiro - Vocals
Pedro Esteves - Guitars
Alécio Rodrigues - Keyboards
Marcos Brandào - Bass
Anderson Alarca - Drums
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