Stating that your music sounds like the illegitimate love child of Lisa Gerrard and Zack de la Rocha might be bold and exaggerated, yet I’m sure that Canada’s The Unravelling merely coined the phrase to illustrate the fact that their sound is exceptionally eclectic and displays a wide array of influences. There’re no elements of Dead Can Dance or Rage Against the Machine to be found within “13 Arcane Hymns”, yet the album encompasses various styles with great aplomb and expertise, which is something of an oddity in this superficial and numb era. As a result, this self-released debut is tough to categorise or pigeonhole, there’s a notable thrash influence in songs such as “Last Rights Protest” and “Where It Will End” that places them close to acts like Grip Inc. and Prong, while others themes sees them heaving massive and intriguing ideas charged with highly contagious melodies and complex rhythms slightly reminiscent from someone like Tool. Despite these obvious reference points, the duo comprised by singer Steve Moore and multi-instrumentalist Gustavo De Beauville are forging their own path and boast just enough characteristics and attributes to distinguish them from the pack of uninventive groups.Then, there’s the tremendous vocal range of Moore, the man can bark with an intimidating enraged-fury and still carry out soaring vocal melodies whenever the songs demands it. Maybe Canadian musicians might consider giving Chris "The Heathen" Valagao a break and look at Moore for future collaborations.
Bottom line, “13 Arcane Hymns” is a great record that hopefully will gain The Unravelling a decent record deal. (7.4/10)
Band info: www.theunravellingmusic.com
For fans of: City of Fire, Tool, Grip Inc.
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