Burning Sunset – Bruma
Self-released – 2008
By Neil Hauer
Metal is hardly a genre confined to any specific region or nation, but you don’t typically see many bands emerging from Iberia. This alone makes Portugal-based Burning Sunset somewhat unique, but it’s their mix of gentle acoustics with churning death metal riffs that is their true calling card. Bruma is a three-song showcase of their abilities, and it’s something a little different than what we’re used to.
The EP kicks off with the oddly named ‘Clausura’. The shortest track here by some margin, it’s also the most mundane, revolving around somewhat melodic riffing and fast-paced drumwork. Melodic death metal is the predominant style here, and it’s done well despite bringing nothing new to the table. The song is certainly enjoyable, but it pales in comparison to the other material here. ‘Missing Flora’ immediately launches into a metallic assault, with clear early Cynic and mid-period Death influences in the guitar work. The varied vocals are well executed, but it’s the sections in which they’re absent where the song truly shines: the solo is phenomenal, and it’s played over a common but satisfying chord progression. This point is driven home by the final track, in which the technical skills of the band are on full display. Acoustic-electric interplay is used extensively here, and the sharp, punctuated bursts of mandolin are powerful and chill-inducing. Something must also be said about the guitarists’ creativity, as they manage to keep each solo varied and interesting throughout, including frequent Latin and flamenco flourishes.
Even though this release contains a mere 18 minutes of music, it’s enough to see that this is a band with great potential. Although there’s no issue with the vocals, I can’t help but thinking this group would be better off if they parted ways with that aspect of the music and focused solely on the stellar instrumental sections. Nevertheless, this is an intriguing group that merits watching, and it’ll be interesting to see the direction they choose for their first full-length recording.
Official Burning Sunset Myspace
Self-released – 2008
By Neil Hauer
Metal is hardly a genre confined to any specific region or nation, but you don’t typically see many bands emerging from Iberia. This alone makes Portugal-based Burning Sunset somewhat unique, but it’s their mix of gentle acoustics with churning death metal riffs that is their true calling card. Bruma is a three-song showcase of their abilities, and it’s something a little different than what we’re used to.
The EP kicks off with the oddly named ‘Clausura’. The shortest track here by some margin, it’s also the most mundane, revolving around somewhat melodic riffing and fast-paced drumwork. Melodic death metal is the predominant style here, and it’s done well despite bringing nothing new to the table. The song is certainly enjoyable, but it pales in comparison to the other material here. ‘Missing Flora’ immediately launches into a metallic assault, with clear early Cynic and mid-period Death influences in the guitar work. The varied vocals are well executed, but it’s the sections in which they’re absent where the song truly shines: the solo is phenomenal, and it’s played over a common but satisfying chord progression. This point is driven home by the final track, in which the technical skills of the band are on full display. Acoustic-electric interplay is used extensively here, and the sharp, punctuated bursts of mandolin are powerful and chill-inducing. Something must also be said about the guitarists’ creativity, as they manage to keep each solo varied and interesting throughout, including frequent Latin and flamenco flourishes.
Even though this release contains a mere 18 minutes of music, it’s enough to see that this is a band with great potential. Although there’s no issue with the vocals, I can’t help but thinking this group would be better off if they parted ways with that aspect of the music and focused solely on the stellar instrumental sections. Nevertheless, this is an intriguing group that merits watching, and it’ll be interesting to see the direction they choose for their first full-length recording.
Official Burning Sunset Myspace
