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‘Lies’ is the fourth album from the Italy-based hardcore band, Mellowtoy. Coming eleven years after their debut album, ‘Lies’ is a powerful and enjoyable album; let me tell you why.
The introduction, ‘Nitro DK’, is an ethereal-sounding build up, using a range of tones to create a sense of wonderment. It feeds directly into the next track, ‘Lies’. Chunky drums, exciting and energetic guitars and wonderful vocal juxtaposition (between growling and clean vocals, which establishes excellent back and forth) all work together to create a mighty first track. The clean vocals are emotive and remind me of Alterbridge. The tempo change at 1:27 is a favourite part of mine, as it gives way to a fist-pumping beat.
‘Visions’ is a slower, more deliberate, track which reminds me of A Perfect Circle. This track is solid, and I love the guitars throughout, the tones used within capture so many different feelings that the song moves seamlessly through.
The next song, ‘Destroy Yourself’, undoes the sense of emotion crated by ‘Visions’, to provide a dynamic, bass-filled, beast of a track. They sound slightly like Five Finger Death Punch (before FFDP wrote mostly sad songs about how unfair things are). The drumming at 2:24 is a nice touch, as it breaks the track up without losing energy.
‘Reflections’ is a serious song, starting with gut-punching drums, and bass with delicate notes played on top. The crooning vocals are beautiful, and the mix of guitar sounds coming through really works well.
‘Dead Colours’ opens on a sombre note, and this is extended through the song, as all the elements come together to form an almost melancholic tone. The calculated tones and timings make this song wonderful, and the guitar solo towards the end supports this.
This gives way to ‘Faded Promises’, which opens with distorted guitars. This song proves to me that Mellowtoy are not predictable, as I think I’m heading towards a HIM sounding track and am greeted, instead, by a hardcore beast. The contrast which flows through this song is exciting and effective.
‘Chain Reaction’ starts with a solid beat, for some quality mosh pits, and some brutally guttural vocals. This is replaced by softer vocals for the chorus, which, though I don’t enjoy it as much in this song, does bring out the brutality of the verses. The way the song ends from 3:31 is thrilling, as it breaks itself apart for a solid ending, which finished with a solo note of bass.
The next track, ‘Humans Are a Plague on Earth’ (the anthem of retail workers world-wide?) wastes no time warming up, as it dives straight into a frenzy of powerful metal. The chorus is so beautiful at times, that it’s almost haunting, but you can’t dwell on this for too long before the verses return to assault your ears. The track is a pleasure on multiple levels. The back and forth between guitars and bass towards the end is one of my favourite things on this album.
‘A Letter From the Past’ starts out fun and bouncy. It makes me think of when I was 18 and I used to listen to songs like this all the time, as I was clad in tartan and Converses, and the nostalgia brought on by this is wonderful.
The final song, ‘Bright New World’, is a great way to finish the album. It features the energy crafted by a band working perfectly well together that has been present throughout the whole album. It’s another blazing anthem, which is full of life.
‘S.A.T.A.N’, the album’s outro, is a 32 second punk assault which seems to come out of nowhere, but definitely ends ‘Lies’ on a high note.
Overall, I loved this album. I’d say that Mellowtoy’s influences are quite obvious, but they seem to be bands I enjoy. The contrast of guttural and clean vocals, which feature throughout, is enjoyable, and there is no weak part on this album for me. In fact, while reviewing it, I messaged a friend of mine and told him “Hey man, you need to check out this band Mellowtoy.” Excellent stuff.
Review by Eileen Bate
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