Waking Our Ancient Memories
Unborn Prophecy
From their EPK, "The band will release their first album "Waking Our Ancient Memories" with the label WormHoleDeath records in 2023. This album has been recognized by many Costa Rican musicians as unique and absolutely outstanding: the album has not even been released, and they are already considered "the best metal band in the country" by some of them. They have created an album that is powerful, technical, and professional; with meaningful lyrics." The album has nine songs.
"Namasol" is the first, and it's a very brief instrumental. "Whispers" is a heavy song with two styles of vocals. The rhythm guitars sound closer to Thrash to me than anything else, with occasional Progressive rhythms, and the riffs are pretty simple for me. "Silencer" is similar in the sound. Again, the vocals combine gutturals with screams, and the riff is a mid-tempo offering that is just too simple in scope for me. They clearly have the Death Metal side of the genre down pat, but there are few melodies. "Ocean" is another heavy, chugging song that is focused on the brutality of the genre. Although there are some Progressive sounds in the riffs, they are far too one-dimensional.
"Ancient Alchemy" is unfortunately further proof that the band intends to stay within the narrow confines of Death/Trash Metal. This album is quickly becoming a fairly painful listening experience. "Forgotten Gods" is really the first song presented with any variation. Chunky bass notes open the song, with some tempered drumming. Although the riff is simple, it finally does a good job of getting off the ground. More like this, and the album would be better. "The Seven Blood Lines" has some interesting background elements among the heavy, punishing riff. The band is starting to figure out that they can't keep relying on the same riff over and over again. Progressive elements come through much stronger. "Awakening of Tiamat" features another brutal riff with nearly the same pacing as other songs. A little more variation would go a long way on the album.
"Prophecy" closes the album. This song present at least some variation from the others, but it also shows that the band is not willing to leave the narrow boundary genre confines. Overall, the album had potential, but it fell flat in the end. Too many bands are more interested in the aggressive, heavy side of the genre, and uninterested in developing melodies. This was an example of that. I'm not saying that melody has to take over punishment, but when nearly every song on the album has a similar pace and sound, it makes for a stale listening experience.
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Waking Our Ancient Memories" Track-listing:
1. Namasol
2. Whispers
3. Silencer
4. Ocean
5. Ancient Alchemy
6. Forgotten Gods
7. The Seven Blood Lines
8. Awakening of Tiamat
9. Prophecy
Unborn Prophecy Lineup:
David Gonzalez - Lead Guitar
Juan Carlos Suarez - Drums
Paulo Matarrita - Bass Guitar
Jeancarlo Murillo - Rhythm Guitar
Sley Martinez - Vocals
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