Album Review: Skarlett Riot - Invicta

Time really does seem to lose some meaning as you get older, and especially when the world all but pauses for some of that time. It has now been four years since Skarlett Riot released their last album, and that fact caught me off guard. I knew we were due for a new record, but it amazes me an entire Olympiad period has elapsed since "Regenerate" was released. A lot has changed in that time, but it appears Skarlett Riot has not. That's a good thing, considering how the last time we heard from them, they were making a case they were a band to keep your eyes and ears on. Now we get to find out if that promise they showed has paid off.

Right off the bat, the band packs the same punch as before, with a metallic edge that brings a hefty, mechanical tone to their music. Their tone is not warm, fuzzy, or even biting. Skarlett Riot's music is colder, and more heartless about scorching the earth under their feet. They are that modern rock/metal hybrid who do manage to sound futuristic. That mechanical quality I mentioned earlier makes their music sound not of this time, as if it still is ahead of the curve.

Skarlett's voice, amazingly, fits that tone perfectly. Her voice is smooth and powerful, yet it doesn't have the tones we would normally associate with cheer and warmth. There are a lot of places where I'm not sure she would fit, but this vision of a band is centered around what she is best at, and they all blend together into a perfect amalgamation.

It seems on this album, the band has decided to push themselves to be a bit heavier, as they have more harsh vocals popping up to add different textures to the songs. This music can certainly handle it, but I'm not sure they come across as heavy as they intend to be, so the harsh vocals sometimes get in the way. There is also the fact that Skarlett's melodic singing is what keeps the band anchored, and the balance between her and the instrumentation gets thrown a bit off when the more aggressive vocals are used as more than a minor punctuation.

Maybe that is just trying to keep up with the trends, where rock and metal continue to get more and more extreme as the audience dwindles. Why do people keep saying rock is dead? Part of it is because rock has become so insular, and has gravitated towards pleasing the hardcore fans alone. That isn't how you win over new fans. Skarlett Riot has plenty of ability to write songs that should be getting some airplay, especially when you compare it to the crap that actually fills the rock playlists. Their hooky rock/metal approach is great, and I really like the rousing choruses Skarlett graces us with. I just feel that the harsher detours on the way there are both unnecessary and unwise. The songs would be just as fist-pumping without them, and it would be easier to bring new people into the fold. I'm not against harsh vocals entirely, but they almost always limit my enthusiasm. I have to be honest and say if Skarlett sang everywhere there is a scream or growl on this record, yes, I would like it quite a bit more.

That being said, I do still like this record a good bit. Skarlett Riot writes memorable, melodic songs. They are carrying the torch for what I've long said modern metal is supposed to be. It started (for me) with Bloodbound's "Tabula Rasa", and since then has seeped throughout the scene, mixing some of the instrumental elements of melodic death metal with almost pop vocal melodies. When they stick to that formula, they're a darn good band. We're talking on a continuum, and they are a step or two further to extreme than I would say is the perfect balance. It's an intentional choice, and they still achieve what they want very well. Skarlett Riot is clearly a talented band. Even if we disagree on some of the details, we agree on the bigger picture.