Soultorn - Masks
Independent Release - 2002
By Paddy Walsh
This EP from Californian band Soultorn left me somewhat surprised as to their location. The name of the group, the artwork, and the music all pointed towards Sweden, only for me to realise they're actually American! Anyway, Masks is supposedly something of a stop-gap EP before a full-length, on which we get four original songs, and a Dark Tranquility cover. Since I just mentioned the name Dark Tranquility', you should now know what to expect from this band. Yes, that's right, its melodic death metal time. My indifference to this style is unlikely to be shattered by Soultorn, but at least they are competent at what they do.
Thrashy and catchy guitar riffs are the order of the day, with plenty of leads thrown in for good measure. The Dark Tranquility influences permeate this band, even down to the way vocalist/guitarist Ryan Montigny does his raspy, growly thing. The vocals are a bit of a let down actually, as he insists on doing this quasi-clean vocal thing that sounds quite poor to these ears. If you can't sing, then don't try. Look at what's happened to In Flames.
Musically Soultorn are decent if underwhelming. There's absolutely nothing here that fans of this kind of music won't have heard before, and done better. An unfair summation perhaps, but I feel compelled to go hard on bands that make absolutely no attempt to find a sound of their own, especially in genres that are completely saturated with substandard bands. Masks is decent, but a better vocal performance and a more individual stamp are needed to pull Soultorn out of the lower tiers of metaldom.
5/10
Soultorn Official Site
Independent Release - 2002
By Paddy Walsh
This EP from Californian band Soultorn left me somewhat surprised as to their location. The name of the group, the artwork, and the music all pointed towards Sweden, only for me to realise they're actually American! Anyway, Masks is supposedly something of a stop-gap EP before a full-length, on which we get four original songs, and a Dark Tranquility cover. Since I just mentioned the name Dark Tranquility', you should now know what to expect from this band. Yes, that's right, its melodic death metal time. My indifference to this style is unlikely to be shattered by Soultorn, but at least they are competent at what they do.
Thrashy and catchy guitar riffs are the order of the day, with plenty of leads thrown in for good measure. The Dark Tranquility influences permeate this band, even down to the way vocalist/guitarist Ryan Montigny does his raspy, growly thing. The vocals are a bit of a let down actually, as he insists on doing this quasi-clean vocal thing that sounds quite poor to these ears. If you can't sing, then don't try. Look at what's happened to In Flames.
Musically Soultorn are decent if underwhelming. There's absolutely nothing here that fans of this kind of music won't have heard before, and done better. An unfair summation perhaps, but I feel compelled to go hard on bands that make absolutely no attempt to find a sound of their own, especially in genres that are completely saturated with substandard bands. Masks is decent, but a better vocal performance and a more individual stamp are needed to pull Soultorn out of the lower tiers of metaldom.
5/10
Soultorn Official Site
