I’ve been listening to Embers off and on for some time now and to be honest, it didn’t really jump out at me right away, but the more I listened to this, the more I liked it. The sound on the EP is raw and dirty, but at the same time pretty catchy, and I definitely like it that way.
Although this is a 4-song EP, Parasitic Skies succeed in making Embers an appealing effort. There are no fake moves here, from the start they’re getting right down to business and keeping it as hard as it should be. An Abcess is an appropriate starting point for the EP, setting the tone for what can be expected during the rest of the songs. Boasting raw and relentless riffs accompanied by a brutal drumming and deep growling vocals, the song embodies the kind of sound that was long absent in the scene. It could be best described as new school with a lot of inputs from death metal and it kind of reminds me of the 90’ when a lot of vegan straight edge bands were doing it like this. In many cases, it was plain boring and generic, and using the vegan and straight edge image seemed just like a poor excuse for lack of musical skills. Nonetheless, there was couple of bands that were doing this stuff right. Just remember names as Apostle, early Reprisal, Abnegation or Deformity and you’ll know what I mean.
The metal sounding songs featured on Embers definitely bring back memories of those days and even not being the biggest fan of this style, I can appreciate the amount of aggression and energy Parasitic Skied delivers. Mid-tempo grooves form the foundation of their music but the songs are also filled with parts where the tempo significantly increases. The tracks are detailed with good dose of breakdowns and changeups that keep them far from getting trivial and chaotic like a lot of deathcore bands today. I definitely rather listen to Parasitic Skies than to another lame ass deathcore band with squealing pig on the vocals.
It’s not the type of music that will appeal to the common taste nowadays when it comes to combining hardcore with death metal. There are no girly melodic parts in here, no clean vocals or bullshit lyrics. No cheap tricks here. Just an honest band that is serious about what they do and the message they’re trying to get across to the listener. If you are looking for a brutal and metallic hardcore give it a try.
Author: Dloogi
Label:Seventh Dagger
Year: 2009
