Flares - Traces of You

When I ever think of a new/modern metal band, I think of a phony movie. Yeah, you know those trendy productions which play trendy songs. Well, they are mostly new/modern metal bands. Of course, we can’t pack everything in the same package. There are some bands that outstand. Flares are one of them. From the beginning one can feel that the band has something different to offer. That difference is that their dudes can actually play. Flares try to give an extra care to their songwriting. And that makes a lot of difference. Their peers songs mostly seem to be the same drawned by sonic effects and uncanny voices. Flares’s singer can actually sing.

Well, maybe I’m getting an old geezer, but I have my standards for Metal. A band has to actually play their instruments and have a decent singer. To be really honest, Flares pass the test. “Traces of You” has some kind of melancholy that I appreciate. But it’s not that blazé and plastic vibe all those bands have, it’s a real one. Guitar lines in “Follow the Flames” show that. No tricks about them, just a common repetition drill, but it does work. Opening track “Traces of You” has an interesting lyric and a cool drumming. Just by it you noticed something special in Flares. A band has to stand out these days. An outstanding bass line do the rest of the magic. Some bands insist on hiding their bassists, I can’t understand why. Maybe I’m getting too emotional because I’m aging, but “Traces of You” is actually cool. Second best is “Solid Ground” with its punching intro. Good guitar work.

To have something to say is very important to a band that wishes to compete in this so competitive market of today. Some genres are easier than the others, or the band has all the luck. Flares do have something to say. If they are lucky or not, I really don’t know.

Flares “Traces of You” will be released on October 19th.

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