NEGACY – Escape From Paradise

Do we have outstanding vocals?  The question every Progressive or Power Metal band should answer with ruthless self-reflection.  If the band can’t confidently respond with an affirmative, the band must reconsider its choice of genre or resign itself to mediocrity.  The icy truth for Negacy is their vocalist doesn’t have the range, power, or charisma to deliver the hallmark soaring vocals of the genre.  Their sound is eerily reminiscent of Nevermore.  Another band plagued with insufficient vocals.

Like a toddler with unsure footing “Born Betrayed” leads with intermittent beats, stuttering riffs and tentative vocals.  As the song progresses, coherent moments of Groove Metal weave into an overall bombast of Progressive Metal complexity.  This pattern is repeated throughout.   “Land of Oblivion” comes closest to successfully blending these elements. It has the best vocal performance and noteworthy moments of solid groove near the end.  “Lies Of Empathy” has a stripped down structure providing a respite from the bludgeoning complexity.  “Slave To The Faith” contains a soaring chorus complete with backing vocals adding a dimension sorely missed on other songs.

Escape From Paradise is self-described as melodic, easy-listening and a noticeable step forward in terms of production quality.  While the melodies are numerous, they’re so fleeting the listening experience is anything but easy-listening.  The album’s tepid mix smothers the musicians and accentuates the weak vocals.  Negacy struggles to find the right formula to mix Progressive Metal and Groove Metal.  Fans of either genre will find moments of enjoyable listening but ultimately the weak vocals and awkward melding of styles leads to an uninspiring whole.

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TRACKLIST (Highlights: 4, 7, 9)

1. Ex Cinere
2. Born Betrayed
3. Dog Among The Wolves
4. Land Of Oblivion
5. Escape From Paradise
6. Under The Sycamore
7. Lies Of Empathy
8. Scattered Life
9. Slave To The Faith
10. Black Messiah
11. Last Will

LINEUP

Leonel Silva – Vocals
Andy Mornar – Guitars
John Sindiryan – Guitars
Adrian Serrano – Bass
Raphael Saini – Session Drums