What can we label as "new" in Metal in this moment we are living right now?

Well, it's not an easy task to answer this question. That's because pioneers bands as IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and some others has a deep grasp on Metal fans' minds. Of course, the root of modern Metal genres are deeper, going back to what PANTERA made on "Cowboys from Hell", "Vulgar Display of Power", "Far Beyond Driven" and "The Great Southern Trendkill"; and MINISTRY and its nightmare shown on albums as "The Land of Rape and Honey", "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste", "Psalm 69: the Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs". The fusion and experimentalisms made with their influences, and the new elements that the bands brought later helped to set the foundations of Modern Metal, that is still being constructed. Maybe the Swiss quintet LIFE'S DECEMBER can be a good band in the future, for what we hear on the latest album, entitled "Fatigue".

Here you find the influences of Djent, Groove, and Death Metal, and even some parts from Metalcore and Industrial Metal. But the mix of the features of these genres turned out in something different, something personal that will seduce all the modern Metal fans with no problem. Of course, the songs are well constructed, with the needed weight and aggressiveness, and some broken tempos and dissonant parts. But even being unique, I believe that they need some more time to expand their music to the limits and to lay down their influences in a proper way. It's new and different, but a bit immature sometimes. The sound quality they earned on "Fatigue" is very good, giving them the needed balance between weight, aggressiveness and clarity. It's truly good, preserving the low tunes of the instruments and breakdown parts, as well as their technique. All can be heard and understood with no problems.

Of course their music is not easy to understand at first, but the more you listen, the more your comprehension of the musical identity becomes clear. Obviously, it allows us to point as their best moments songs as brutal and technical "Second Life", the dissonant melodies of the guitars on "Dead End" (where some good vocals can be heard as well), the broken tempos that show the excellent technical work of bass guitar and drums on "Omniscient", the aggressive hooking grasp of the complex "Just Another Error", the violent and straight "Fatigue", and the giant "O Dulce Nomen Obitus", a 22 minutes song filled with broken tempos and different parts, and where the entire band is really doing great. But in some moments, you feel that they are still maturing, that some shows and rehearsals can make their musical style a bit more solid.

For now, "Fatigue" is a tasteful album, indeed.