Review Summary: A varying cornucopia of different elements from all around the metal feast.
The Melo-Death scene is all but dead lately, there isn't really any new bands coming out that aren't doing what everyone else has done to death in the past. Mediocrity is setting in and it seems like even the old releases that seemed to be classics are getting a little stale. Neaera (named after the lady in Greek mythology who was sold into sexual slavery and basically proscribed, oppressed and exploited all her life) is a melo-death/hardcore mix from Munster, Germany who are currently signed to Metal Blade Records. They play quite an interesting mix of melodic death metal with a splash of hardcore here and there. They have since released another album (after this one) and one prior to this release. But Let The Tempest Come is easily their crowning achievement.
The best way to describe Neaera's music is comparing it to a drink called a "Riley" (which includes very varied ingredients). If you mix a healthy dose of modern metal, with the stylings of some old school death metal and thrash, throw in some hardcore elements in, and there you have it, Neaera. Having so many varied elements in their music makes it very easy to listen to one song and pick apart the parts though. Fluidity is something that can make a great song great, and a horrible song even worse, it is sometimes tiresome to run through some of the songs knowing that they're going to try and fit all thier influences into one song.
The production on the album is quite stellar as well; Jacob Hansen, who has produced Fear My Thoughts, Maroon, and Communic was charged with the task of turning the knobs for this release. Every part of the bands music shines through and not one sounds too overbearing at any point in time, the drums, guitars, vocals, and even the bass are perfectly balanced. The music itself is actually much more improved from their debut, in that they are creating even more challenging and memorable/catchy riffs than before, there isn't one song on this album that wont stick in your head somehow. Some may question this newfound sense of commercial-ness but they do it, and they do it well. Songs like Let The Tempest Come, Mechanisms Of Standstill, and God Forsaken Soil have some of the catchiest riffs and structures, it will be hard not to get sucked into them.
The only demeaning qualities this album have are the formula's set up by each song, sometimes can get a bit tiresome. Knowing exactly how the song is going to pan out without even listening to it, [insert] death metal riff here [insert] thrash verse/chorus here, [insert] groove/breakdown here...it can get a little old at times. The only other thing that I would have to say that can get monotonous are the vocals, he generally only does one of two things, a high shriek, or a deep bellowing low, there really isnt any middle ground. It would have been nice to hear a bit more variety in his voice, but he does what he does very well (even if its just those two things). Altogether making a very cohesive but yet sometimes monotonous vocal approach.
Altogether this is a great album with some really memorable and catchy songs that will have "that riff" or "that part" stuck in your head for days. But at the same time also brings some good old school elements to the table with enough of the new school to make it sound balanced and stellar. Let The Tempest Come is a great all around metal album that seems to almost get no recognition (along with the band) and with the way things are going for these guys, I hope that they come to light a bit more.
