Box – Cherry Blossoms at Night

Box

Cherry Blossoms at Night

by Dave "That Metal Guy" Campbell at 15 August 2022, 9:35 AM

From Portland, Oregon, comes the enigmatic BOX.  “Cherry Blossoms at Night” contains eight tracks. “succumb” is the first. It’s a shorter song with raging guitar and drum work, and some dissonance. The first vocals are screams, and it sounds like a Thrash band, but with some modern influences. A mesmerizing cadence is built. “pulse” goes the opposite direction. The sound here is almost Industrial, and least from the vocal cadence. So far this band is proving that they are not a one-trick pony. “soft is the motion” is an odd song…try to define this genre…it almost sounds Post Metal to me, with a heavy, droning beat and downtrodden vocals. The constant pulse of heavy thuds will begin to weigh on your mind.

The title track consists of a steady electronic beat. It sounds like an 80’s throwback song to me, and it is fairly catchy. The vocalist displays a nice range in this song, and the lead guitar notes are highly saturated with distortion. “lifetaker” pluses with another electronic beat, straight from the 1980’s. The despondent sound is quite accessible, and the vocalist shows his diversity as he reaches down with a party harsh voice. “spread” is another song with a heavy, pulsing rhythm. The harsh vocals here are a bit of a surprise, but it just works, and don’t ask how. Even in its sterility, this song is highly emotional.

“devayne’s lament” has a slow, mesmerizing rhythm, mostly from the guitars. The vocals range from long wails to short grunts of sorts, and the melody is catchy. “liberate” closes the album. Talk about an odd song…synth effects produce big, fat notes while the vocals are mostly falsetto. The song is sad, but again very catchy. What is this band? Progressive music? Thrash Metal? 80’s Pop? The truth is, they are a combination of all these styles. Refusing to be pigeon-holed, they just lay out their unique music for the listener to enjoy. So, stop trying to categorize it, and just listen to it. It may sneak up on you as an album you go back to frequently.

Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 7
Memorability: 8
Production: 8