Rifftera-Pitch Black
- By Aeonis
- Sep 6, 2015
- 4 min read
Rifftera is a band from Finland and their new CD is Pitch Black, which is a sort of Melodic Death mixed with some thrash sounds. Ok so how is it, well, exceptionally well. Production is perfect with all of the instruments clearly distinguishable and crystal clarity on the instrument exposure time.
The CD opens up with "Back to Life" and the song just punches you kicks you hard down. Although, they might be a Melodic Death Metal band, I can't help but hear this driving force similar to another excellent band Helltrain. Rifftera really catches your attention, and forces you to take notice. The rhythms are powerful and the drum work is tight with the guitars. The solos are perfect for the songs. They are a great blend of melodic and fast. At times you can hear the drums match beats with the solo guitar which really adds to the strength of the band and the song.
"One Step Closer" comes in slow with this beautiful keyboard intro and then the technical rhythms section jumps in with drop pin precision sort of like cogs in a clock whereby everything fits so perfectly. Then three minutes into the song there is this hardcore or rather an old school mosh pit rhythm that makes you circle the pit until the solo comes in and then you come out hitting hard from your corner, truly a beautiful song no matter what genre your into.
"Lightbringer" comes in hard and fast. The solo work in the beginning only sets up the atmosphere to how good the song will be and actually is. Then there are these series of old school thrash beats and then just to really knock you down the snare slams you down like a precise machine gun. The chorus in the song really gives you this feeling of being free. Again no matter what genre of metal you are into, you cannot say that you have heard it all. Just when you have heard over 50,000 bands and at least ten songs on each CD, well you get it. Then comes this band Rifftera, and you can honestly say that you have not heard it all.
"Ashes Fall" begins like an In Flames song, yeah you know the one (2004). However, Rifftera takes it one step further and uses this to showcase their softer side with melodic tranquil feel throughout the song. Although, "Ashes Fall" can be seen as their commercial breakthrough to a different audience, for me, this was the reason that I could not give them that last pick to propel them into stardom. It is as if they left that Melodic Death Thrash sound behind them or maybe it was track order. "Ashes Fall" needed to be either last or an extra track.
"Rotten to the Core" brings them back to their sound the one that we began with. Moreover, "Rotten to the Core" almost gives us that old Gothenburg sound that we crave. Yet the chorus is melodically sung with a really swallowed keyboard. But the rest of the song is powerful enough to quickly overlook their error. Yes I said error. That specific keyboard part is low, swallowed, bassy sounding and is on a right left channel spitter so it makes you want to listen but the sound is swallowed by the low frequencies. The solo is exceptional, it is short and fast and the drums are perfectly matched throughout the remaining part of the song which really brings up the song. "Open Wounds" is a mosh pit song, the beginning builds the rage, the next measure is sort of this better and heavier riff similar to "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and then the rythms kick you out of the starting gate and make you circle the pit eying your victim before you join in the pit. But then the solo gives me this Iron Maiden feel for a spit second. And of course Rifftera is like 1000 times better than Janik's playing. But then at around 3:40 you are back to the mosh pit, and then at around 4 minutes you get this Dark Tranquility feel from their Projector and Haven days.
"The Ruins of the Empire" begins powerful razor sharp precise rhythms and solos begin the onslaught of the the song, and then the triplet beats are reminiscent of early Fear Factory days When Ray was with them. The drum beat is so difficult, but then you expect them to just rip out into this double blast beats but instead there is his metal core style beats and it never really takes off. The soloing is very well executed with perfect melodic notes. But I was really hoping for that drummer to rip out on this song, but they never did.
"Pitch Black" is the song that you really wanted from the beginning. It begins with this acoustic interlude that really sets the tone. Then the rhythms really settle in and the immense sense of this songs comes through. I can see why it is the last song on the CD but it never gets faster or more intense. Instead "Pitch Black" is like Rifftera's epic song. Then soloing is really exceptional because, it sounds like multiple soloists performed their part on it. "Pitch Black" is a really good song, but it is as if all of their energy was spent on the rest of the songs and this is just a grand finale but without the intensity.
I still give the "Pitch Black" CD release by Rifftera 4 out of 5 guitar picks, and if you still have not picked up this CD I don't know what you are waiting for, cause this is a CD you will listen to for many years to come.
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