QUICKIE REVIEW OF AN UNSIGNED BAND: RAVENSCRY

Today, I’m looking at Ravenscry, a “melodic metal” band from Italy that claims to be influenced by Evanescence, Soilwork, and Within Temptation. But, to be honest, all I can hear is Evanescence. The songs are drawn-out pop metal… uh… anthems. They attempt to be “different” from all the other melodic metal bands out there by using – gasp – classical instruments. Yeah, nice try. It mostly sounds like the violin setting on a keyboard. The simple and repetitive manner in which these elements are used doesn’t help, either.

Not that the band would be all that great if they’d used a real orchestra. Singer Giulia Stefani is not by any means a bad vocalist, but the way she applies herself  really sounds like everyone’s least favorite female-fronted nu-metal band. There are definitely plenty of operatic moments, but they’re overused, which makes them all sound very similar. It’s like shredding – you hear it sometimes and it’s great, but a whole shred album is obnoxious.

Meanwhile, the press notes make a big stink about the band using eight string guitars, but there is absolutely no time on the entire EP that I can hear good use of these instruments. Basically, they sometimes do slowed-down versions of Meshuggah chugs, which just sound retarded considering both the speed of their right hands and the context of the music. Mauro Paganelli and Paul Raimondi’s guitar work is pretty weak overall, actually – there are no solos, and the riffs are bare-bones. They only provide enough background to make sure that the vocalist isn’t going acapella for the whole EP. The silly instrumental “Redemption II – Reflection” sounds like a really shittily done cover of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, without any guitars to speak of.

I think that bands that call themselves “melodic metal” are just using it as an excuse to be called metal when they’re really just pop-metal. Add Ravenscry to that ever-growing list, and stay away.

-DM