Raintime – Flies & Lies
http://www.raintime.com
Bieler Bros. Records (bielerbros.com)
Raintime evokes confusion with latest album, but brings home heavy metal in the end.
Raintime is a very strange band. In one sense, they are a hard-core metal band ready to annihilate with mean guitar solos and head banging fury. On the other hand, they are a bit cheese-ball.
After listening to the first song on the album entitled “Flies & Lies,” there is definitely something left to be desired, but after that, Raintime continues to impress with further tracks on the album. This album floats somewhere in between heavy metal and something more progressive and technical. Guitarists Luca Michael Martina and Matteo Di Bon do not fail to make an impression with their skills.
The album begins to get intense with the song “Rainbringer,” which evokes true heavy metal. This song is heavy on the growling/screaming, and it is not sung in vain. It is clearly one of the best tracks on the album.
Flies & Lies takes a rather sappy turn for the worse with “Finally Me,” a song reminiscent of an eighties hair band ballad. This song threw me for a loop in comparison with the rest of the album. Some parts of the song, including the intro, seem to be fused with the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields,” seeing as it sounds like a little pipe organ being played. It’s not very metal, but at least intriguing nonetheless.
Raintime makes me question their metal roots once more, with a metaled-out cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Is this a rock band or an eighties cover band in disguise? I didn’t like the consistent confusion I for some reason felt while listening to the entire album.
For all that is shaky about Flies & Lies, they go out with a kick-ass bang on the final track, entitled “Matrioska.” Singer Claudio Coassin’s vocals are crisp and edgy, and then shift to growling and hardcore, making for a delicious blend that finally fulfills what the listener is looking for.
For all the confusion and dislike that struck me during listening to this album, I will say that it is definitely worth a listen regardless. Purely because I did not get bored, and was anxious to hear what different element the next song on the album would bring. Every member of Raintime is talented at what they do, which makes for an interesting listen in the least.
Emily Craner