Draemora – Death Rectangle
Release Date: 18th June 2021
Label: Self Released
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Genre: Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Metalcore.
FFO: Lamb Of God, Wage War, Conjurer.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Draemora announce themselves with their debut album Death Rectangle. The Seattle based Metal band are drawing inspiration from some of metal’s most exciting bands and looking to carve their own niche.
If a barrage of riffs is what you’re looking for then Draemora have you covered. The riffs all over this album are always a highlight and just when you get into the groove it chops and throws you in a completely different direction. The execution of these changes might not always be as subtle as the band hoped but it doesn’t make the electrifying riffs any less fun. Guitarist Terry Paulson not only wrote Death Rectangle but also recorded and mixed it all from his own bedroom.
The production job for a home recording may not be ground-breaking but for the most part it fits the sound the band are chasing. Draemora have sought after a darker and more disturbing feel compared to their previous EP Awakening and they deliver on this promise. However, where the production struggles is vocally. The vocals are raw and while this serves some of the songs it leaves others feeling flat.
The clean vocals scattered across the record are unique and an area Draemora can certainly build upon. While the screamed delivery started to feel repetitive, the clean passages constantly keep you guessing even if the production often leaves them feeling bare. There’s a blues influence on the track What You’ve Become which is the album’s highlight. The blend of this vocal approach with riffs that sound halfway between Gojira and Lamb Of God is a really nice touch and a sound Draemora could mould into something that is uniquely their own.
Death Rectangle feels like a band on their debut. Across it’s runtime it shows glimpses of what this band could be. Draemora are attempting to break into a scene which is in full swing and to join the party the band will need to take massive strides, but all the foundations are there.
(2 / 5)
