The Florentine Camerata
We were recently contacted by Dan from The Florentine Camerata, to let us know about their latest EP, Encryption:Paralysis’, and to see what we thought. Recorded and mixed in July of 2012 by Adam Mckay-Smith, the band have been working towards this since their formation in 2011, forming their groovy death metal sound and incorporating techy elements into the mix. A group of like minded individuals who strive to compose fresh, new material, and drawn influence from the likes of The Faceless, Necrophagist and Fleshwrought, I was looking forward to seeing what was on offer from these guys!
Opening with Architects Of Destruction, the EP gets off to a dark and eerie start, pulling in horror movie style sounds to get things moving and not giving away what’s going to come next, other than the fact it’s going to be dark as hell! As soon as the mix kicks in it’s clear to see that we’re dealing with a band who don’t mess about, launching us head first into a melee of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and roaring vocals. The mix which is formed is not only devastatingly heavy, but also incorporates a real sense of groove into things meaning you can’t help but move along with them. Powerful and distorted throughout, the distorted power is backed up by a real sense of dark melody behind the scenes, offering up syncopated beats, intricate lead lines and powerful rumbling bass lines, all forming a sound which will leave you a quivering mess as it comes to a close.
Moving into Into Obscurity the theme of rolling power continues, keeping the drums fast and heavy and allowing the guitars to continue their distorted and intricate journey over the top. Much more stereotypically death metal this time around, this track seems to serve as a demonstration of the bands all out power and ability to craft tracks which showcase their various abilities. It’s striking how much there is going on in this track, each twist and turn presenting a different outlook from insane breakdowns, roaring vocal lines, rolling double bass pedals through to intricate guitar solos, This ability to throw different styles out at each turn is what makes this band stand out from the market so much, showing that this is going to be a force to be reckoned with out on the live scene.
Closing with Ambivalence there’s one last moment of sheer energy to bear witness to before the EP comes to a close. Heavy, powerful and layered with techy bits and bobs, this is a track which once again is going to find its true power on the live scene. Intricate and carefully put together, it’s striking how a band can achieve a sound like this whilst still hammering out their unique blend of death metal with aplomb. To me, this final track is really the sound of the band in a snapshot, showing off all of the different influences of the band and showing how capable they are at taking those influences and making them their own. As a closing track on an EP this does what it should, leaves you wanting more but knowing that what you’ve just heard has been one hell of an impressive journey!
The name Florentine Camerata doesn’t give a lot away about a band, so I went into this one not really know what I was in for. What I’ve come across though is a band who have taken death metal style riffs and drumming, and turned them into their own new take on things. At times sure, this is death metal, but there’s also intricate and melodic elements which stands this out as something more impressive, something deeper and more powerful, something I’ve not come across before. As a debut EP, bravo chaps – now get onto the follow up so we can have some more!
To find out more about The Florentine Camerata, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Photos courtesy of Jamie Sweetlove Photography.
Opening with Architects Of Destruction, the EP gets off to a dark and eerie start, pulling in horror movie style sounds to get things moving and not giving away what’s going to come next, other than the fact it’s going to be dark as hell! As soon as the mix kicks in it’s clear to see that we’re dealing with a band who don’t mess about, launching us head first into a melee of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and roaring vocals. The mix which is formed is not only devastatingly heavy, but also incorporates a real sense of groove into things meaning you can’t help but move along with them. Powerful and distorted throughout, the distorted power is backed up by a real sense of dark melody behind the scenes, offering up syncopated beats, intricate lead lines and powerful rumbling bass lines, all forming a sound which will leave you a quivering mess as it comes to a close.
Moving into Into Obscurity the theme of rolling power continues, keeping the drums fast and heavy and allowing the guitars to continue their distorted and intricate journey over the top. Much more stereotypically death metal this time around, this track seems to serve as a demonstration of the bands all out power and ability to craft tracks which showcase their various abilities. It’s striking how much there is going on in this track, each twist and turn presenting a different outlook from insane breakdowns, roaring vocal lines, rolling double bass pedals through to intricate guitar solos, This ability to throw different styles out at each turn is what makes this band stand out from the market so much, showing that this is going to be a force to be reckoned with out on the live scene.
Closing with Ambivalence there’s one last moment of sheer energy to bear witness to before the EP comes to a close. Heavy, powerful and layered with techy bits and bobs, this is a track which once again is going to find its true power on the live scene. Intricate and carefully put together, it’s striking how a band can achieve a sound like this whilst still hammering out their unique blend of death metal with aplomb. To me, this final track is really the sound of the band in a snapshot, showing off all of the different influences of the band and showing how capable they are at taking those influences and making them their own. As a closing track on an EP this does what it should, leaves you wanting more but knowing that what you’ve just heard has been one hell of an impressive journey!
The name Florentine Camerata doesn’t give a lot away about a band, so I went into this one not really know what I was in for. What I’ve come across though is a band who have taken death metal style riffs and drumming, and turned them into their own new take on things. At times sure, this is death metal, but there’s also intricate and melodic elements which stands this out as something more impressive, something deeper and more powerful, something I’ve not come across before. As a debut EP, bravo chaps – now get onto the follow up so we can have some more!
To find out more about The Florentine Camerata, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Photos courtesy of Jamie Sweetlove Photography.