This Aussie quartet’s debut lands somewhere between In Flames’ post-Clayman stomp and Bury Tomorrow’s arena-chasing scope.
Opener Drones is full of righteous guitar duelling and closer Reveries locks into a formidable groove. In between is a plethora of inventive riffs, intriguing arrangements and expertly crafted metallic pomp that belie Naberus’s inexperience and point towards interesting times ahead. Though the opening riff of Close Your Eyes sounds suspiciously like BMTH’s The Comedown, it quickly hits a more dominant melodic stride, and Cohesion’s simple but affecting motif is a pulsating highlight. Sadly, for this kind of hook-laden metal to hit the mark requires a singer who can carry the weight of the songs. James Ash can hold a tune and has plenty of idiosyncrasies in but the choruses rarely hit the heights they promise, most notably on Vultures’ and Voices’ determined attempts at calls to arms.
