Arogya – Genesis
Release Date: 23rd April 2021
Label: Out Of Line Music
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Genre: Melodic Metal
FFO: Avenged Sevenfold, Underside, Within Temptation.
Review By: Lucas Di Mascio
Arogya is a melodic metal band from India that describes themselves as “synth-rock”. They are certainly one of the more unique metal bands that I’ve come across, and that’s in part due to their musical direction and unique imagery. Sometimes synth heavy metal drowns out the guitars in favor of the synths, making it sound more like an industrial record than a metal one, but that wasn’t the case here- Arogya has found a great blend of anthemic melodic metal with melodic synths that compliment each other rather than detract. A few of the stand out tracks are the singles Dust and Broken – and between those two songs you’ll get a very clear picture of what the band is all about as it showcases the entirety of their dynamic range.
Vocalist Rain is a capable singer, being able to blend death metal growls with his clean vocals at ease. I like that the death metal vocals only appear sparingly and when needed- this band is aware that what makes them special is their melodic aspects and they really drive that home. Some songs have a very 80’s feel with not only the choice in synth sounds, but in the melodies and song structure. Arogya doesn’t just rip off the 80’s however, they find a way to make those predictable arrangements and tones from that era into their own sound, which is what really impressed me on Genesis. Lonely Night Descends is a perfect example of this, as it has the structure of a classic power ballad that a hair metal band would pump out, but it doesn’t feel like one because of their conscious production choices to make it just enough like something from the 1980’s. It hits the same parts of your brain that makes it feel somewhat familiar, but this might be lost on someone who isn’t a fan of that era of music, or wasn’t around from that time.
While I did enjoy Genesis it felt a little hollow. It’s ten songs whizzed by and while there were a few stand out tracks (namely the singles) the songs felt very “samey” at times and just blurred together. There weren’t any interesting changes that excited me once I got through a few songs, and while the production on the album is stellar it just accentuated how similar many of the songs are. That said I still think that this is a great album and I think the overall aesthetics that the band is going for is really cool and doesn’t feel gimmicky at all. Usually I cringe when I see bands in makeup or wearing masks as it’s a tired gag, but these guys have found a way to make it fresh again, and the music really does stand on its own without the gimmick.
I’m more interested to see what these guys do next, if they play things a little less “safe” next time while keeping the things they do that really work, they could create something really special. 
(3.5 / 5)
