Metal is one of those genres that's never in fashion, but continues to engage legions of fans however much the rest of the world and the music press (Kerrang! and other rock / metal-orientated zines aside) may mock and malign it. I'm not entirely averse to metal, at least in the sense that a lot of bands I like cross into metal territory at times. My main issue with metal are that it so often falls to cliche, with myriad carbon-copy bands striving to emulate their heroes without realising just how corny and derivative they sound. My other big criticism is that so much contemporary metal isn't nearly as hard as it pretends to be, negating the weight and rage of the verses with big, wussy melodic choruses.
No such wimpishness in this five-tracker by Milan-based metallers Exalt Cycle. Yes, they do have hooks and the choruses do contain audible lyrics, but front-growler Zack's got depth and grit in his larynx: no superclean poppiness here, just solid rock, while the verses are filled with guttural howls of pain. Sonically, Exalt Cycle are hard as nails, grinding out colossal riff on colossal riff, underpinned by some solid drumming: nothing flashy, just weighty and relentless.
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While citing the likes of Trivium, Bullet for My Valentine, Machine Head and Slipknot (who they amusingly refer to as 'old school'), Exalt Cycle successfully produce a brand of metal that's more vintage-sounding than the nu-metal that took over the world at the turn of the millennium, while also possessing a contemporary feel. A lot of this is due to the guitar sound, which is solid and chunky, without being slabs of sludge-distortion that grow immensely tedious very quickly.
The guitars and the anger are both cranked up to eleven to produce a set of punchy, ballsy and intelligent metal of a rare quality.
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