Artist: The Safety Fire
Title: Grind The Ocean
Genre: Technical Metal
Release Date: 27th February 2012
Label: InsideOut Music
Album Review
‘Grind The Ocean’ is the debut release from UK based Technical Metal band THE SAFETY FIRE. Combined with the buzzing, raw yet innovative hymns of a band like BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, the band takes things in a highly melodic direction - especially on the vocal side - that hasn’t been heard much in the Technical Metal world and only briefly with bands like BTBAM or THE OCEAN. Some have even considered THE SAFETY FIRE comparable on the lines to JAMES LABRIE and KINGS X, but the music is a bit too harsh to be on that level of Progressive Metal, so it is better to consider these guys highly harmonic Technical Metal. On tracks like ‘Huge Hammers’ - the first single - there is plenty of screaming and shouting that gives the music a slight bit of Metalcore/ Screamo edge to it, but this helps impact the clean vocals even more and makes them just sound better and better. The jazzy interludes are a great addition as well to help flush out the melodies so it just doesn’t feel like sharp, harsh buzzing of tapping on the frets so things sound like MESHUGGAH.
The shorter tracks showcase the more eclectic side of THE SAFETY FIRE. Like a dream, the vocals have been faded out to pure clean moments with nothing but percussion on the background on the track ‘Anomolous Materials’ and serves as a great interlude from the headaches of Technical Metal. While certainly more simplistic than a track like ‘DPM’, it trades innovation for simple atmosphere and works wonders on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to the genre. Other tracks like ‘Animal King’ throw in simplicity as well but it is tempered with sharp moments of highly wild jazzy Technical Metal moments, but the harmonic balance is perhaps the best way to show what THE SAFETY FIRE can do as a band. The other short track on the album ‘Seagraves’ features no vocals, but again focuses on simplicity of the guitars to produce just a very harmonic track that is easy to follow and with the drums and bass added in just creates a jazzy symphony that shows off the instrumentation of the group. It isn’t wild, but rather chilled (and not in the Black Metal kind of way) and just feels like something that be sunk into across any sub genre of Rock or Metal (here listeners might be able to see where the KINGS X comparison comes in). Overall, THE SAFETY FIRE strikes hard, but is balanced and keeps the harsh and soft elements in check. It’s rather unique when it comes to the vocals, but overall the structure isn’t much different from the average Technical-Prog Metal band. However, listeners should definitely check this out if they like their Metal harmonic and non-cliché with plenty of skill involved as well as a fresh take on the expectations of a Modern Metal world.
Tracklist
01. Huge Hammers - 6:26
02. Floods Of Colour - 6:25
03. DMP (FDP) - 5:23
04. Anomolous Materials - 1:52
05. Animal King - 5:57
06. Circassian Beauties - 6:10
07. Sections - 6:14
08. Seagraves - 2:13
09. Grind The Ocean - 7:00
Line-up
Sean Robert McWeeney – Vocals
Derya Oisin Nagle – Guitar
Joaquin Ardiles – Guitar
Lorenzo Anton Carlo Peri – Bass
Calvin Simon Tulloch Smith – Drums
Website
www.facebook.com/thesafetyfire
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
Buy the album here!
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