Mostly Harmless

'Butterfly Effect'

 (Colibri Records)









MARK: 86/100



 
Don't be deceived by their reassuring look and monicker, the four Spaniards are nothing less than a kick-ass four-piece with nothing to envy many titled Nu Metal and Metalcore bands. Albeit almost of devoid of guitar solos, their aggressive and energic compositions stand out thanks to an elevated rate of intensity and ooze sentiment in several portions of them.
With introspective, keen lyrics which invite to self-improvement after having touched the bottom of one's dramas, the variety is amplified by the use of plenty of vocal styles and the use of English, Spanish and both of them in a few hybrid tracks.

Their fourth full-length starts with "Times", a sort of more devilish Ill Niņo, followed by "Unlike", where the ghost of Slipknot appears when singer Alex recurs to certain vocals. Even more interesting, "Mariposa" is bound to astonish you with a cool blend of Mudvayne, At The Drive In and The Black Dahlia Murder, whereas "Evolution", "Loyalty" and "Libertad" contain sublime refrains siding the Emo/Screamo/Nu metal structures; the last song of the three mentioned is able to show better than the others the effective contrast coming out of the complex singing deployment (effected, angry, clean ectasized or clean obsessed vocals) and the corresponding enticing entwining between guitars and drums.
"Epiphany" seems a vague A Perfect Circle meets Killswitch Engage, but even exhumes melodies dear to the never forgotten womanizers Heroes Del Silencio, while "Choices" reminds of System Of A Down, P.O.D. and Pantera.
Begun and shut with a traditional Spanish arpeggio, "Partido" suddenly applies to the lectures of Soulfly and Ektomorf, enriched by an exquisite refrain one more time; so full of shades, this song is another masterpiece together with the opener, whilst the most suitable song for the radio market is "Disconnected"; at the same time it's pretty particular and I bet no-one can resist the fascinating infested vocals and the short sample interventions.
"Confession" comprises the most brutal distorted/undistorted changes and is concluded as the Thrashcore school taught.
Finally, "Vision" differs a bit from the rest by means of guest Black Tiger, rapping in German inside a typical Mostly Harmless track.

Coming to the negative sides of the record, there's not too much to complain about: first off, I found the production fine but not clear enough; more impact would be needed here and there, as you miss the 'punch' effect of superproductions; secondly, the construction of the climax of three Spanish refrains out of four is too similar, therefore more variety will be welcome next time. Besides this, one can only rejoice in the multitude of emotions created by the Iberic combo.
A catching, desperate and provoking Melo-core recipe that will definitely raise interest toward the other previous releases, "Butterfly Effect" is also a smart investment by the young Swiss indie label. Very well, this is the course to follow; if only all labels and acts were like the two involved in this partnership, all the rumours about the death of Rock and Metal would dry up!

MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 2nd November 2007





Line-up on this record:
Alex, v.
Marcelo, d.
Hampe, g.
Javi, b.



Contacts:
E-mail: management@mostlyharmless.ch
Official sites: http://www.myspace.com/mostlyharmlessrocks
http://www.mostlyharmless.ch



Demo-/Disco-graphy:
-Superartificial (CD - 1998)
-Iconoclast (CD - 2000)
-My Soledad (CD - 2004)
-Butterfly Effect (CD - 2006)