Search - Neaera :: Omnicide

Unleash this on your speakers!

misha2707 | 05/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think I like most German metal for some reason or another. So it stands to reason that when I heard of Neaera, I should check them out. This was an obscure melodeath band I'd never heard of before until a week ago. They blew me away.



First impressions speak volumes, and my first impression was that these guys sound A LOT like their countrymen Heaven Shall Burn. The sounds and vocals are very similar, but HSB has more of a 'core' element you don't hear with Neaera.



Regarding the cover art, my first impression was that it looked like a four-year old with a penchant for the red crayon had colored it. After looking through the whole booklet, I think otherwise. The overall tone of the whole thing is of dreary emptiness like a world gone desolate in the blink of an eye. The picture of the bloody whirlpool/hurricane spinning over the face of the planet toward the back of the booklet kind of creeps me out.



But back to the music, as I'm sure that is what most of you want to hear about anyway. As I said before, if you are a fan of HSB, you will dig this album. This isn't your average melodeath album either. It is heavier and darker that most melodeath. The double bass drumming and blass beats are impressive. Guitars are chunky, tuned-down slabs of granite. Underlaying the harsh vocals and chunky guitars are a chugging rythm section and epic guitar melodies providing a vivid backdrop to the music. The vocals are varied and well-done. Again, they sound almost exactly like HSB at some points. This vocalist ranges from cookie-monster growls, to monolithic barks, to high-pitched black metal-esque screams, and sometimes to two or more of the styles at the same time, layered over one another during mixing. The result is a deep, haunting sound that feels like death itself creeping through the pores of your flesh.



If you listen to this album from back to front, it becomes apparent that these guys took no prisoners in the making of this album. It is unrelentinly heavy throughout all ten songs. There are not any doomy atmospherics or thoughtful instrumentals to break up the mass, either. The best way to describe this music would not be the repetetive Heaven Shall Burn references, but by using one succinct word: Massive.



Even if you are not a fan of melodeath or the brutal deathcore HSB offers up, you should check this album out. These guys know how to do it. Omnicide: Creation Unleashed bleeds out 4.6/5 stars."

Another great Neaera release

Brian C. Pierce | 06/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Neaera has put out another great album. All of the songs have a great combination of melody and all out heaviness and this CD has fantastic production so everything on here sounds great.



This CD sounds like melodic death metal to me, but it is different than the classic sound of this genre (Dark Tranquility, In Flames, At the Gates, etc.). There is an "updated" sound to this which is just slightly different to me. It is very subtle, but I feel like this release shows a really nice blend of some different heavy metal styles. again, it doesn't jump right out at you, but to me this sounds less like traditional melodic death metal when compared to some of Neaera's earlier releases like "Let the Tempest Come" (which rules by the way!).



The one thing that jumped out to me when listening to this CD is that there seems to be a few more low growl-type vocals on this release compared to some other Neaera CD's. They also do a significant amount of doubling low and high pitched vocals for a cool effect. I think this all sounds great and I think Benjamin Hilleke's vocals have never sounded better.



The drumming is fantastic as always. Neaera sure know how to use double bass and there isn't a shortage on this CD.



I really recommend this CD to any metal fan. It makes me sad that I am the first person to review this CD, because I think Neaera deserve a much wider following here in the U.S. Hopefully some people will give them a shot for this album and get into all of their CD's. You won't be disappointed."