Avariel - Avariel

Avariel - Avariel 

What's the Rush?

In this prematurely released demo from 2009, there is no doubt that the hamstrung vocals are the strongest element. Following the usual gothic/symphonic metal formula, Avariel saunters forward with Shannon Kelly’s singing, embellished with guitars and synthesizers. Avariel is strongest and most promising during the moments where the band sticks to the staples of their genre. There, the songs have a sense of cadence with fairly timed build-ups and crescendos that display a more than competent structure. But each time the band deviates from this and steers more toward ballad or poppy territory, the songwriting becomes stagnant and flat. More problematic is how the songwriting can not compensate for how weak each instrument sounds.

Worst of all are the drums, tinny programmed drums are not exactly rare in metal demos. While the drum lines are programmed with serviceable variation here, the actual samples are strikingly and distractingly poor. Were they were recorded from a cheap keyboard that had tears in the speakers and water damage? Unlikely, but the result is the same and even immediately apparent due to “Bleed” starting off with the very worst of it. The demo will even come across as cheap and unfinished for listeners who have been inured to distracting drum samples because of the shoddy synths. This is bad news for a symphonic metal band; attempting to channel the richness of a symphony with a few simple synth pads is difficult. The task becomes impossible when those synth pads also sound inferior, melodramatic, and cheesy. “Tunnel’s Light” in particular showcases an exaggerated synth motif, a slurry of notes so devoid of character that it both bookends the song and serves as a transition from its climax. Adding bland digital guitar and bass tones on top of this heavy handed aspect of the band also fails to salvage the demo.

Unreasonable and disappointing decisions kill the hydra’s last head - vocals. Avariel’s misuse of the vocals is a mix between deliberate decisions and an apparent rush to release a demo. Deliberate vocal sabotage occurs mostly on “Tunnel’s Light” featuring ridiculous effects that adulterate the vocals: a 1970’s telephone sound-quality effect and an obnoxious tremolo effect. This is really irritating and reeks of poppy pandering, but unfortunately isn’t the only way that Shannon Kelly’s vocals are misused. While clearly capable of singing in each song’s range, she does so inconsistently even within individual songs. She wavers between a raw and strained performance to effortlessly hitting higher notes, giving off the impression that the recordings were too rushed to allow for better takes.

While there is some promise and talent in the songwriting and vocals, the demo falters through its poor instrument quality and boring poppy proclivities. Clocking in at around 15 minutes, the decision to have a ballad for the second song is also puzzling and disappointing. Although only a demo, Avariel should have recorded this after they had more professional sounds and given more time for Shannon Kelly to consistently sing the vocal lines.


Link: http://www.metal-archives.com/band/view/id/127862