Album Review: Metalite - Biomechanicals

I've made it clear before that I don't particularly enjoy when bands, or usually the label's PR writers, make claims they can't back up. I get that they have to try to sell me on giving their record a chance, but it doesn't help when they say things I know aren't true even before listening to a note of the music. I don't like being lied to, and that's what I feel these people sometimes are doing. I got that impression with this album, which came with advice that "the quintet from Stolkholm reinvents classic Melodic Metal". No, they don't, and they didn't need to say they did. I heard the first single, and was already impressed enough to give the album a spin. Going so far as to say this is revolutionary is ridiculous.

The claim arises because of "Metalites expertly use of electronic elements" (the missing apostrophe and odd syntax is theirs, not mine), and a lyrical theme about the dangers of technology. Stop me if you're heard this before, but both of those are complete cliches because they've already been done to death. The only way this is revolutionary is if we've somehow made a complete orbit and arrived back at the start. Just stop with this crap.

Metalite doesn't need this anchor dragging them down, because their music is actually good. It can more than stand on its own. They have written a collection of very modern melodic/power metal that has big, bright hooks that new singer Erica Ohlsson delivers with aplomb. It isn't all that far removed from Within Temptation's "Resist" from earlier in the year, which is a good thing, consider that remains a highlight of the year in this genre.

The difference is that Metalite, as their name would imply, puts a bit more metal in the sound, eschewing some of the more dramatic and emotional tones for something more relentless. Given the theme, and those electronic bits, that's a good decision. I don't think adding bleeps and bloops to something trying to evoke a reaction from the audience would be very effective. I also don't think the electronic elements work in this context either, but they don't detract. They're just there, which I take to mean they shouldn't be there. Everything in a song should have something compelling to say why it's there. These electronic bits don't really do that.

Fortunately, the core songwriting is strong. These tracks deliver chugging metal and strong hooks, very much the way that Sinheresy did a couple months ago. As you can tell by dropping yet another perfectly tuned reference, I'm still hung up on this sales job.

If we can put that aside, songs like "Mind Of A Monster" are what this modern strain of metal should be. If you want to hear glossy, hooky, and rather fun metal, this is going to be for you. I very much enjoyed listening to this record giving me yet another dose of Amaranthe-ian metal. Oops, there I go again.

So here's the deal; "Biomechanicals" is an album I definitely like, and would certainly recommend, that is getting held back by its own hype. These reviews I write are basically one long conversation where I tell you what's going on in my mind, and what my reaction to these records is. In this case, that doesn't tell the story I want to tell, or that Metalite would want me to, but it's me being honest. My issues aren't going to affect you, so have at it. Metalite has made a record you won't regret listening to.