The young fellows of
Versover strike back with their second studio album called
House of Bones. After a very successful debut in the underground metal scene, with the album
Love, Hate and Everything in Between, the band reaches the borders of perfection with this album based in the tale of the young brazilian poet, Adriano Villa, "A Casa de Ossos", the Portuguese words for "House of Bones".
It´s hard to hold the excitement when you write about an album that in the very first spin, raised your pills as your favourite albums once did. A CD that made your stereo system home, and seen to be staying in there for a long long time. But I swear that I will try hard to do my job, as impartial as I can my friends, although I admit it: - tough work, folks!
Recorded at Creative Studios by Ricardo Nagata and Philip Colodetti (Krisiun, Shaman, Eterna) and produced by the band´s guitar player Gustavo Carmo, this album also contains the collaboration of Angra´s singer Eduardo Falashi and Eterna´s singer Leandro Caçoilo, with the keyboards played by Charles Dalla from the veteran band Wizards.
But I call your attention to the fact, that besides these special guests, there are four young dudes smoking with there instruments, taking metal to a different and higher level. Making use of multiple influences and forging their sound with identity, escaping from the sea of copy bands around.
"Love, Hate." was a great surprise for metal fans with progressive music roots. With its thousands of tempo changes, complex drums work and long length songs, almost epic pieces. But now, even the band keeping with a hand in the virtuosi, they make full contact with heavy/thrash metal, giving us a "riff storm", filled with short and precise guitar solos by Gustavo Carmo, clean galloping bass lines by Fernando Hagihara, a heavy, direct and creative drum sound (and whatta great drum sound they got in the mastering and mixing process!!!) of Daniel Roviriego and the versatile Rodrigo Carmo´s voice, melodic, aggressive, sometimes even spat, the words complete a perfect circle where music, lyrics, the history itself, invade the listener's mind and make him part of a huge celebration of ecstasy and, why not?, pure madness.
Track one,
Prologue, introduces the history of House of Bones with a short narration in German (I suppose.) interrupted by the
Megadethish main riffs from Gustavo intercalated with those frantic fast solos in the vein of
Victor Smolski (Rage´s guitar player), followed by the thunderous double bass drum's work of Daniel along with Fernando´s pounding bass and Rodrigo, for the first time, with a perfect production match to his voice, giving him space to show all his attributes and charismatic performance. The chorus words stick in your mind from the first listen:
"Only the one who falls, can show how to rise. Only the one who knows hell, can in Heaven rise." Nice start!
Thoughts of a Stranger carries on the saga in a song full of different moods, and sonorities. Starting very aggressive, almost flirting with the 80´s thrash metal, then suddenly assuming a blasé figure in the chorus, falling into a breathtaking guitar solo that leads to the chorus again, and the end of the tune, simple and precise as that.
Baroque influenced acoustic guitars with the whispered words sung by Rodrigo introduce
Wind up the clock, which isdivided in three pieces:
12:12, The end of Street House, 14:14. Here is the most similar song comparing to "Love, Hate." with a more complex instrumental structure, tempo changes and a fantastic chorus with an Egyptian vibe choirs, lead by Leandro Caçoilo, lead singer of Eterna and one of the best singers of this country.
After a private show of technique, comes a more simple song, but maybe one of my favourites,
Daem Angel. Walking on the fine line between pop and metal, Daem
Angel is one of those rockers for playing live, with a very catchy chorus and cool guitar riffs, completed by acoustic guitars and very melodic bass lines. An instantaneous hit!
And the marvellous
Touch the Walls, that rescue that classic metal sound of bands like Manowar,
Virgin Steele (in their best career moments!), with a power chorus full of melody and energy, that celebrates music to the extremes. God. it has been a while since I last heard a song with a chorus that impressed me as much as this song did.
Desperation Mist brings back the progressive sonority again, but never losing the heaviness and functionality that the other songs show to the listener. A very good song, with an interesting chorus, where you can actually notice Caçoilo´s backing vocals.
Screams of Pleasure starts with a huge choir supporting Rodrigo´s vocals. Again the band goes through a classic metal sound, a little NWOBHM, with that typical guitar riffs and galloping bass. Again, 80´s influenced but sounding fresh and unique, starting to show the band's signature.
Then the things calm down a little bit, to the entrance of the honourable guest, Eduardo Falaschi from Angra. Here he shares the vocal lines with Rodrigo in this beautiful semi-ballad called
Signs of the Past. A memorable duet I must say. There´s a short piano solo in the middle, very nice too, followed by another beautiful solo from Gustavo.
Ruins of Memory is a typical
Versover song with lots of variation in the rhythm section, aggressive vocals blended with melodic lines and another memorable moment when Gustavo´s guitar duels with Charles Dalla's keyboards.
Ending this brand new gem, two songs that are my favourite ones by far, also the ones I think will be the most requested by the fans. The title track,
House of Bones, a mid-tempo song with a sing-along-chorus, very catchy too, and the neck breaking
Dead Hour and Twelve Minutes More. I can picture the stage dives and crowd surfing. hehey!!! Dave Mustaine possesses Gustavo and brings back to old
Megadeth fans those crushing fast guitar riffs full of poison and malice! And the cd stops leaving to the listener no other choice but restart again the music, and continue the blasting moments House of Bones gives the fans of high quality heavy music!
Written by
Rafael Monday, November 3, 2003
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