- Band: Valyria
- Album: Collatus
- Songs: 6
- Duration: 33:50
- Genre: Epic Melodic Death Metal
- Origin: St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
- Release: June 18th, 2014
Rating: 7/10
I'm sure we all recognize this band name by now, but not for the music, but rather because of George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, and the subsequent HBO hit series Game of Thrones. Epic fantasy series tend to be a popular source for band names nowadays, but I don't mind it because they spawn pretty bad ass names. I'm straying off point here, back to the music.
Valyria is a four-piece band hailing from St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. They play a form of melodic death metal that has a heavy power metal and slight thrash metal influence. Collatus marks the bands debut release. I have to say, the 6-track EP is a debut worth being proud of. On the EP, the band maintains an uplifting and positive sound throughout, that shows their power metal influence. This melodic sound is the highlight of the band and it showcases their musicianship well. The work of the guitarists is especially noteworthy. The chemistry between the 2 of them as they bellow out powerful melodic riffs and harmonize together is phenomenal. They guitarists are occasionally supported by awesome keyboard and piano solos (that sometimes will remind you of the original Castlevania video game). With the melodic ground work laid by the guitarist, the rest of the band compliments them death-growled vocals, a fair amount of double bass, and the occasional thrash riff that gives them additional heaviness.
Despite the great musicianship, the vocals are where the band starts to lose credibility. The vocalist predominantly uses death growls, but occasionally he switches it up to a baritone clean singing, as can be hard on the track, Polaris. Though I believe the vocalist can sing better than he can scream/growl, I believe the band made the right decision to use growls the majority of the time. However, I believe they chose the wrong person to do the growls. I do not know if it is a lack of talent when it comes to growling, terrible production, or a combination of both, but the death-growls were done horribly. The majority of the time it sounds like the vocalist is just mumbling into the mic. The growl during the breakdown of Polaris made it difficult to finish the final minute or so of the song. I have heard vocals performed better by some of the worst bands I've ever heard, so I am disappointed that this band could not find a better way to lay down these vocals. At least the vocalist pulls double duty as bassist and hits us with a few noteworthy bass lines to attempt to redeem himself. Despite that, the vocals are still a blight to the music and caused me to lower my rating a lot.
Overall, I would suggest that you give this band a listen, especially the track Starborn. That track is mesmerizing all by itself. I am not a fan of many songs 6+ minutes long, but this one holds my attention. If you can look past the vocals and focus on the music, you will be happy you listened to this album. From the news I've been hearing, the band is currently writing their follow-up to Collatus. I have not heard a time frame for recording or release, but it's something I will definitely look out for. But, guys PLEASE...refine those vocals before you hit the studio. You will make tremendous strides if you do so.
Below are links to the bands Facebook and Bandcamp pages, the latter of which has the EP available for 'name your price".
Bandcamp
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