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Album Reviews : Naberus – Reveries

By on September 20, 2013

Naberus - ReveriesThe Swedish metal sound that dominated the early 2000’s and spawned bands such as At the Gates, In Flames, Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity  has clearly been a major influence in the shaping the sound for the debut album from Melbourne’s Naberus. Reveries is a release that does not only wear its influences on its sleeve, it waves them high and clear for everyone to see, albeit with their own modern twist.

The opening song ‘Drones’ is a fantastic introduction to what the band is all about. The track is jam packed with wonderfully executed melodies, which are centered around a powerful rhythm section. Vocalist James Ash channels a combination of Anders Fridén (In Flames), Matt Heafy (Trivium) and Björn Ove Ingemar “Speed” Strid (Soilwork), with references to the latter in both the vocal and instrumental department; it is no wonder the band has recently secured the Melbourne support slot for the impeding Soilwork Australian Tour.

‘Voices’ and ‘Unmasked’ continue on by following much the same formula as the opening track, where as melody and huge hooks are the flavour with tracks such as ‘The Fallen’ and ‘Darkest Day’. It is the track ‘Gallows’ however where the band truly shines though, a 6 minute plus epic that seamlessly blends melody and aggression in to a powerful and cohesive track.

Following on the instrumental track ‘Dirge for Sanity’ shows the band are no one trick pon;, a much calmer, melodic piece that serves as a great platform for some truly tasteful lead guitar work. Rounding out the album, the title track ‘Reveries’ with its huge hook and catchy chorus provides a great ending to proceedings and is sure to be a hit live.

The music may not exactly be ground breaking, but when aggression, melody and groove, is executed with this level of conviction and professionalism it’s hard to fault the band on this point alone. Reveries is a well structured and coherent release, that will surely earn them the recognition they deserve within the Australian metal scene in time to come.

Band: Naberus
Album: Reveries
Year: 2013
Genre: Melodic death metal
Label: Independent
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
facebook.com/naberusband

Track list:
1. Drones
2. Voices
3. Unmasked
4. The Fallen
5. Darkest Day
6. Gallows
7. Dirge for Sanity
8. Cohesion
9. Reveries

About

In his spare time, between being a slave to the grind, contributing to MetalObsession.net and hitting up as many local/international gigs as possible. Gareth also contributes to Dutch based metal-zine MetalRage.com, books the odd show under the Inherit Earth moniker and plays drums for Sydney-based bands Whisky Smile and Swamp Harlot.