Let's call Soterios "middle of the road metalcore" -- what I mean is imagine Spitfire or PSI-era TFU covering Mindrage or Uplifted. Somewhat chaotic and somewhat sensical, with distinctive Spitfire-esque guitar tones and vocals all over the spectrum from standard scratchy screaming to death growls to talk-overs. All great elements, but when they put it all together. . . it just doesn't seem to amount to much. It's all well and good but turns out to be neither as interesting as Spitfire nor as memorable as Uplifted -- just not a lot to really get me excited. "My Final Apostasy" -- despite being toooo long -- is a standout track with some catchy riffs, but that makes it more the exception than the rule I'm afraid. It's truly too bad, because this IS a good band that just suffers from mediocre songs in my opinion.
Lyrics. . . wow, there's a lot of lyrics. Most appear to be somewhat personal, but all are very clearly spiritual. "Affliction and Wandering" is a first person account from Lamentations (you don't see that everyday), and "Sunlight Fades" asks the question "are You ever ashamed to call me Yours?". Interesting stuff, but they sort of read like a novel that takes more time to really digest than I typically am looking to take when I just want to rock out, you know?
So should you get this? If you're a really big metalcore fan I have no doubt you'll eat this up and ask for seconds. If you think metalcore can be pretty cool but you're looking at other stuff too, it's well done and worth a shot, but just didn't grab me like I would have hoped.
7.5/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #89Reviewed by Doug Van PeltI remember the last time I was in a fist fight... I flailed my arms about in an effort to wreak havoc on my opponent and, at the same time, deflect his blows. That violent behavior compares to the raw intensity but differs from the controlled aggression of a friendly mosh pit. Everyone is knocked around a little, arms and elbows fly in every direction, but the fists are purposefully thrown to…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Josh SpencerSoterios is a technical metalcore dragon with phlegmy black metal rasps, death metal growls, gruff hardcore shouts, and even some spoken word every now and then. Forsaking the typical low end for a scratchy trebly guitar tone, they kick up clouds of manic chaos. Very capable musicianship, with each player in the pocket. The guitars alternate between percussive, palm-muted stop and go riffing,…Dead Zine 2001Reviewed by NecRoSarXOkay, let me clear up some information from the review of the previous five-song demo that may have been correct at the time of that writing, but needs to be updated: Soterios' full-length CD will be out on Clenched Fist, and not No Compromise as stated in the last review. Now, on with this review... After hearing the pre-release of Soterios' up-and-coming ...The Blinding Pain of Unspoken…
