Burned in Effigy – Rex Mortem
Release Date: 28th January 2022
Label: Self Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Classical/Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal.
FFO: Angel Vivaldi, Wintersun, Mors Principum Est, Scar Symmetry.
Review By: Andy Spoon
One of my fears in listening to classical-inspired metal is that the music will turn into some cringe-inducing homage to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas rock or some hybridized version of Japanese power metal. As long as it’s honest with what it does, it will be successful on its own merit. If it is confused about its sound, it can be difficult to listen to coherently. As many genres of metal embrace the classical musical scales in rhythm and solo parts, bands have deliberately forced the baroque-esque influence on tracks that only meander back into 4-chord screamo choruses and bridge parts. While that had its short place in scene music in the early 2000s, it became predictable and played-out to some degree. It’s hard to imagine another metalcore project with swoopy-haired kids with black fingernail polish playing a ripped-off version of Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” over each of every 12 tracks on an album, without slightly retching inside my mouth.
In some ways, we must channel that nostalgia to realize how our tastes have changed, especially as the genre grows and matures. Burned in Effigy dance dangerously-close to that line with Rex Mortem, an album set for release in early 2022. Drawing influences from power metal, metalcore, and classical music, Burned in Effigy’s 2022 release details the inner musings of a Tyrant before his death (hence the term Rex Mortem, or literally The King at His Death). Fortunately, this album hits the mark for the most part, dodging direct comparison to bands that have tried to make the same sound, but failed.
It often feels like Burned in Effigy took the worn-out sounds that so-many metalcore/emo bands started, and pushed the boundary away from the “core”/clean vocal parts to give a majority of the sound to the classical metal dynamic. It reminds me of how I had always wanted a band to feature heavy musical Nu-Metal with powerful alto female vocals, and how satisfying Evanescence was (for its time) in the early 2000s. There was a niche in the musical world that someone needed to fill. In this case, many metal fans sincerely want to hear music that doesn’t break into “typical” repetitive sounds: whiny, clean emo vocals in the case of bands who use baroque progressions/leads for just a bar or two and repeat, repeat, repeat ad nauseam.
After guitarists Vito Bellino and Brad Dose took their skills to finishing school to play flamenco and classical guitar like they do on Rex Mortem, they connected with producer/mixer/masterer Jordon Beal, who has expertly polished the entire album to allow the actual musical elements to come through on each track. Japanese and Euro power metal influences mix with American core throwbacks to create a sound that ultimately defies either of their respective bases, something that ought to make listeners think twice about skipping songs, as it always seems to appear each song has a little more to offer, musically. Moody guitar solos on Treachery, and The Empiricist fit the band’s overall melodramatic sound, breaking up any hint of monotony.
While the double-stacked guitar rhythms and melodic solos are essential to the totality of the sound, the vocal and lyrical elements are energetic enough to give a presence of both completeness and incompleteness. The single Doomsayer is the best track on the release, offering harmonic solos and blazing tempo. As the 9 tracks jump in and out of power and metalcore, the vocals consistently grace the upper midrange of the tenor fry spectrum, giving needed continuity to the movements of the classical element that can sometimes meander out of its own way at times. The band has certainly found its respective “sound” in the sense that I could easily see further music develop without boring their fanbase.
Stylistically, there are some elements that fall out of place, such as two songs in 6/8 time one after another, making the listener wonder whether the movement in the progression of the album changed or stayed the same. The final track Vendetta deviates from the band’s sound entirely as it feels like a power metal song, taking some artistic legitimacy away from the rest of the album, which largely feels like it was more cohesive, even academically-stimulating. Without any disrespect to power metal as a genre, its introduction into an album attempting to blend power metal elements with harsher, more dramatic metal sounds is confusing, almost unwelcome at moments. I was not surprised to find that Vendetta was from earlier days in the band’s history, but added to Rex Mortem as an additional track.
Having played onstage with Scale the Summit and Angel Vivaldi, it’s not hard to see why the neoclassical and progressive sounds that Burned in Effigy manufacture fit in with a musically-diverse crowd. The addition of specific pieces to the band’s holistic “puzzle” gives the listener something fun to work with that fills the gap that fans of guitar lead-heavy, musically-stimulating metal probably want to hear. Frankly, I think that it is a project which ought to see more time on the circuit, as the production and performance are bested by very few. I would encourage anyone who is a fan of metalcore or melodic death metal to give it a listen when released January 28th. 
(3.5 / 5)
