Review Summary: Creative risks need to be taken for the band to go anywhere, for now the name will make a nice t-shirt.
The words; "Unique" and "Metalcore" used in the same sentence, tend to be an oxymoron in the modern music world. The genre has been done to death and then recycled over again and pretty soon, the loyal following of scene kids is soon to vanish. We are already seeing it happen, for metalcore to stay interesting to those young minds, it must be filled with synthesizers, movie clips and clean vocals.
Evita is yet another metalcore band to add to the massive list we already have. Their sound consists of sing/scream vocals, technical guitar work and a hard hitting low end. But how does their version of the "brutal/melodic" genre, compare to the many other bands under the same category? From my listening experience, it stacks up right beside most other bands and no higher. "Minutes & Miles" follows the metalcore formula almost exactly and offers very little in the way of *Gasp* innovation. That being said, it's an impressive debut none the less and does raise the bar just a little for future artists.
Kicking off with opener “Cracks in the Wall”, Evita take no prisoners. Lot’s of brooding build up and with lots of heavily syncopated chugging guitar (reminiscent of previous label-mates Fellsilent), it’s a stomping beast of a track. Unfortunately it relies on the brutal-melodic-chorus-’emotional’-interlude formula which I’ve grown tired of as im sure the rest of you have.
Don't get me wrong, theres a lot of talent in this band; vocalist Aaron Beider for example, has an impressive set of pipes though the singing does get a bit old after a while. The bands rhythm section is tightly knit and doesn't miss a beat. The fact that the band does nothing special to help them stand out is what brings them down.
"Minutes and Miles" encompasses 10 tracks, each as strong as each other but no more. Tracks like "Willing to Wake" and "Vona" are great examples of the variation between the singing and screaming sides of Evita and also shows off their melodic ability. Sadly their melodic ability is the same as fellow metalcore bands;
As I Lay Dying and
Sea Of Treachery.
I listened to the album a few times through and heard many melodic choruses and now when I look back on them, I can't remember a single one! The great production job doesen't make up for the bands lack of originality. If they plan to survive in or even be noticed by the music world, "Evita" will have to take a risk and try something different. For now, the band's name will look nice on a good t-shirt but in reality, that's as far as the name is going to get.
