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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.
9:35 PM
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