Sunday, November 21, 2010

Victoria Underground - Reaver - Corvus


As we approach the end of 2010, we see that more than 30 years into its history, the musicians' appetite for heavy metal continues on undiminished. One can see why so many are drawn to this genre: the technical proficiency required to be a good metal band is unparalleled in most rock genres. So, if you'e an ace drummer or a true shredder on guitar, what else are you going to play? If you like your guitars distorted, then only metal can really offer you the challenge that you seek.



Victoria and Vancouver have produced quite a few promising metal acts in recent years, from bands like Unleash the Archers and Archon Legion to this week's featured group, Reaver. There's absolutely nothing about this sleepy little colonial town that I would think would inspire metal, but nonetheless, excellent bands are emerging.

Reaver's debut LP, "Corvus" is extraordinarily well-produced. Recorded at Prodigal Studios in Victoria by David Fraelic, the album sounds like a world-class recording. The drums sit nicely in the mix and have that classic heavy metal grandeur, guitars are bright and sparkling when they need to be, razor-sharp at other times such as in solos.

Think what you want about death metal as a genre: there's no denying that its practitioners are serious musicians, and Reaver is no exception. Everything about the performances on this record scream "chops," from the dizzying guitar solos to the machine-gun drumlines. The band takes up the challenge of its predecessors and succeeds ably.

Brandon Reynolds' scream is deep and gutteral. There is absolutely no singing on this album, in keeping with true death metal, which can lead to a bit of vocal monotony. Perhaps if there was some alteration to the delivery it would help to break things up a bit; as it stands, while I hear a lot of different things going on in each song musically, the vocals tend to mush things together into a degree of sameness. Perhaps this is just a trapping of the genre, and I'm sure there are many purists that would applaud this approach.

This is definitely a progressive death metal act, with elements such as acoustic guitar interludes and piano melodies thrown in to add depth to the album. At times this seems a little corny, but I applaud the effort to add some dynamics to the music. Some of the softer passages seem to harken to late 80s Metallica (One, Fade to Black), which is never a bad thing in my books.

It's always nice to see a truly well-produced, well-performed and well-executed album come out of your hometown, and Reaver's Corvus is assuredly all of those things. It may not be my cup of tea stylistically, but I can fully appreciate the considerable artistry that has gone into making this album. For the true metal fan, I would say that this record is a must-have, regardless of where you call home.

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