Here we have a local Australian band with utter determination and dedication to their art. Entropy Within have supplied me with an outstanding promotional package! Inside this nifty folder we have the table of contents presenting a promotional demo CD, a live DVD, an A4 size glossy band photo, business cards, biography, song list, venue list and press clippings and articles. Absolutely astounding! In all honesty, this package is fantastic yet something to be directed toward a label rather than a simple reviewer like myself. So for all the bands out there, Entropy Within included, a one page bio and a demo / full length CD is all that is required to issue reviewers with. This way you don’t waste your money. Unless of course the reviewer is directly linked to a label! I do, however, appreciate the effort and the information supplied as I am in awe of it!
Now let’s review the content…
A Tired Flame– Josh’s clean vocals accompany us into this CD along with somewhat of a mellow, rock style ensemble. It’s not until about 01:30 when the metal starts to emerge. This basically creates an emotional edge which dictates the intensity. There is a death vocal backing in here too which helps to magnify the angst. The clean vocals are basically held and sustained with the singing style and tend to dominate the track. The music is well suited to the singing style and has been mixed well in this respect. It is not overly heavy in its music but it’s definitely got that metal aspect. I’m not a fan of labelling let alone calling something ‘progressive metal’ but I will note this is on the more mellow side of the metal and more so in the newer metal breed style. It reminds me a bit of ‘For Love Not Lisa’ somehow (probably in the singing). Overall, it’s a good track and well worth checking out! Oh and I should note there is an addition to the end of the track where they chat about some stuff but I won’t go into detail. I will note that I really don’t think bands should place that kinda stuff on their CD's, just leave it to tunes only.
Concrete Phallus – Starting out somewhat heavier than its predecessor it soon relapses into a more sombre pace. This track has more of a dark, melancholic essence to it. The music is diverse in its structure yet manages to flow well. The vocals are quite strong and presented well in both these tracks. I did notice a slight bass boost within this track which helped to expose the bass lines a tad. The guitars create a decent atmosphere and help maintain the emotional flow of the song. Again, it is not a heavy track, it is more on the mellow side of metal. An appropriate style for any commercial labels out there, looking to pick up something new with a dark twist. A good effort from a good Aussie band!
DVD – The DVD supplied to me has extracts of various live tracks. This has helped to explain the vocal question buzzing in my head. Since there was no note of who did the backing vocals, I wondered how they would be performed live since they overlapped on the CD. Seeing this DVD has proved Josh does it all himself and quite well too. It is always impressive when someone manages to perform both clean and death vocals as they can be a throat ripper! Just as I suspected, they’d be a great live band! The audience seems to really respect them and enjoy the music. They incorporate a lot of energy onstage too.
In essence, this band has all the goods and passion required to make it in this industry. An amazing effort with this promotional package in all aspects! If a label doesn’t grab a hold of them now, it’s their loss, ‘cause this band have potential!
Review by Déa di Morté © 11 October 2009
All pictures courtesy of Entropy Within