I enthused over ‘Secret’ the 2007 EP release from Portuguese band Thee Orakle and mentioned that I expected to hear from them again, signed to a label in the future. Well that time has come and ‘Metaphortime’ is out on the countries most prolific metal label Recital Records and it’s a mature and confident work with one hell of a lot of depth about it. A quick listen to ‘Secret’ for comparison did not really do the job as intended, as I realised all over again what a great CD that was in itself and found myself completely caught up in once more. The one thing that I did note is that the fantastic summery vibe of the title track which I consider had great commercial appeal (enough to get itself a radio edit on the disc) has generally be replaced by a darker and colder touch on the album itself.
‘Knowing Anguish’ the first song by title pretty much says it all, there is plenty of misery (in a good way) to be found here. This is a work that cannot be easily categorised as there are both male and female vocals and aspects of doom, death, progressive and gothic music within the groups sound. Obviously the production here is far superior to the EP and both vocalists sound a lot stronger in the mix. The male vocals from Pedro Silva are gruff and almost leonine, counter-textured by the more flowery sweet waft from Micaela Cardoso. The vocalists do not sing together but have their own parts within most songs and what I like so much about the female side of things is just how natural they sound, not forced in the slightest. There is a maudlin feel to much of the melody and the progressive tones of ‘Ghost Memories’ send a cold shiver down the spine.
As I mentioned there is a lot of depth here, I realise this by the amount of times I have had to listen to the album before attempting to put (figurative) pen to paper here and it is an album that has me discovering different nuances on every listen. This also means that it is one that I am going to want to keep coming back to, the mark of a good album in my book. The depth is not only within the music but also the album title, the booklet artwork and lyrics have a lot of substance about them as well. Alchemy, some symbols that are recognisable, a song called ‘The Great Masterpiece’ I am beginning to gain knowledge of an arcane concept at play here! The other thing about this is that it’s one of those albums that is in a way unique and one that I am not going to be name dropping other bands into the review as there are no obvious comparisons here.
It’s easy to lose yourself here, the fretwork often leads you all over the place and the musical flow is expertly delivered here, dashing headlong from one place to another but doing so with a structured sense about it. Then at other times the female vocals take over and really hit you for six with their melodious caress, the great ‘Never-Ending Dilemma’ being a case in point. Despite the maudlin feel there are times such as on ‘White Linen’ where the sheer jubilant flow of the guitars take you into a more uplifting place. From there you are transported into Middle Eastern rhythms by ‘Alchemy Awake’ which adds yet more dimensions courtesy of Orphaned Land’s Yossi on Bouzouki.
Well after last months SWR fest, Portugal and the countries bands are very much my flavour of the moment. Thee Orakle were one that I did not have the pleasure of seeing over there but knew in advance, hopefully this album will gain them some more widespread attention as they certainly deserve it. If you are looking for something to completely immerse yourself in and get captivated by ‘Metamorphtime’ comes highly recommended.
http://www.myspace.com/theeorakle
http://www.myspace.com/recitalrecords
