Groove, very good technique, good melodic aesthetics and a modern sonority can be said as the main features of Deathcore, a style that is growing a lot throughout the world and is making the nights of the radicals in Metal sleepless. But the genre is very good, and is an evolution that is truly welcome in our days. Very good bands can be heard anywhere a Metal scene exists. Portugal is no exception, as the very good work of THE VOYNICH CODE is here to proove. "Aqua Vitae", their first album, is here to show that they came to stay.

For being a new style, there is a lot that a band can use. These guys understand this matter, because you have a brutal and violent form of music, filled with technical broken tempos, a heavy and aggressive grasp, but with fine melodies. Underneath all of these features, pulses a strong and bold personality. Yes, they are really searching for a Holy Grail in their musical work, and they'll get it! Produced wisely, the sound quality of "Aqua Vitae" is really very good. It's modern and aggressive as their music needs to exist, but with a very good and clean aesthetics. You'll hear clearly all the musical instruments, their guitar solos (yes, there are some of them here) and some keyboards parts. The album has some special guests: on "Delusion", Jake Luhrs of AUGUST BURNS RED appears; Ed Garcia of VITALISM appears on "Behind the Mirror", Andrew Garcia is present on "King for a Day". They grant the songs an extra dose of energy and aggressiveness.

The album's finest menaces: the very good work of guitars on the raw and brutal ones "Aurum" and "I, the Weak", the catchy melodic lines that permeates "Delusion" (what an intense groove is presented here), the dissonant guitars on "Born to Suffer", the massive strike on broken tempos and rhythmic changes on "King for a Day" and "Behind the Mirror" (a very good work done by bass guitar and drums on both songs), and the intense weight of the Groove heard on the abrasive parts of "The Weight of a Mortal's Soul" (the vocals are very good here).

These guys have guts and a very good future ahead. For all those who like modern Metal bands, you must discover THE VOYNICH CODE's work!