Metasoma - Mirror Of Life

Metasoma

Mirror Of Life

by Andrew Sifari at 23 August 2014, 1:21 AM

METASOMA was formed in 2009 by guitarists Voytek Golbiak and Michal Sedzielewski. The UK-based band toured for their 2012 “Metal Erosion” EP, and returns this year with their first full-length effort, “Mirror Of Life.”

The band’s style is rooted in nineties-style, groove-based Metal with elements of Hard Rock present as well. They’re somewhere between PANTARA and GODSMACK musically, while Amro Aleks takes cues from across the Metal spectrum, alternating melodic vocals with harsher yells. Voytek and Michal are powerhouses, churning out riff after heavy riff in a creative but not overly technical manner. The band make a good first impression with “I Hide,” a dark, catchy tune with some seriously heavy and precise riffs that fit right in with the song’s overall fearful tone. The music is equally impressive on “Rise Up,” but I wasn’t as sold on the vocal approach on this track as with the first; it just sounds a bit too forced and doesn’t flow as well, though this problem is remedied on the slow-burning “Dead Happy.”

One might expect a song like “Rasta Peace” to be a little more lighthearted, but while it doesn’t have quite the same anger as the prior song, it’s still plenty serious despite the more upbeat tempo. “Sane Psychopath Addict” sees the band at their most dangerous, with pummeling, percussive riffs and jarring pinch-harmonics that emphasize the song’s malevolent atmosphere. The start-stop, melodic soloing towards the end of the song serves as a perfect counterpoint to the song’s otherwise harsh approach, and is one of the album’s better moments. Honestly, all the solos and leads on the album are really good, emphatic, and melodic while never distracting from the rest of the song. The subdued “D.W. (A Memory of Rain)” is a great example of this, owing to the awesome solo around its mid-section. The only real blemish to be found (in my opinion, anyway) is “Too Fast For You,” the last song on the album. Lyrically, it sounds almost childish compared to the more serious tone taken throughout the rest of the album, and just doesn’t really seem to have as much to it as the songs before it.

Minor gripes aside, “Mirror Of Life” stands out as a quality Heavy Metal album that should appeal to Metal fans of all shapes and sizes, with hooks and grooves aplenty that hold their own well after repeat listens. There is room for improvement, but “Mirror of Life” nonetheless impresses as a focused, mature offering of aggressive music, especially for a debut album.