Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Karkaos are an interesting band to come out of Canada. On their debut 6-song, 25-minute EP the band comes at you fast and heavy with an aggressive metal sound. Their vocalist Veronica Ortiz Rodriguez does an excellent job in going from death growls to clean vocals ala Alissa White Glutz from another Canadian band The Agonist. Karkaos has been described as Death Metal or Metalcore which I’m not sure is fully accurate. It no doubt stems from the vocals – even though Veronica Ortiz Rodriguez has way more to offer than just senseless death grunts, you can just feel the aggression in her voice. Musically there is a bit of a classic metal influence, some guitar harmonies and a full time keyboardist which is rare for this type of band. Sure “In Burning Skies” is pretty much straight forward, no fooling around metal, but they also add some melodic touches into the mix. After the brief intro “Catharsis”, Karkaos launch into the aggressive “Awaiting the Clock’s Last Turn”. This is the perfect introduction to Karkaos. The classic metal riffs are there and Veronica is an excellent front woman who packs plenty of power in her voice. Next we have “Ashes”, which is slower in tempo but still heavy and the inclusion of keyboards gives the song a pretty cool atmosphere. There are also some clean male vocals included in this song. “The Last Stand” is next and is my favorite. It starts off with a bit of a Celtic influence before blasting into full on heaviness. The final two songs “Lie for a Lie” and “The Tempest” brings “In Burning Skies” to satisfying conclusion. While “In Burning Skies” is just a taste of what Karkaos has to offer. The real test however, is when they release a full-length album to see if they can sustain the level of consistency on “In Burning Skies”. “In Burning Skies” is good – not great – but it is a nice start for this young Canadian band.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Catharsis
- Awating the Last Clock’s Turn
- Ashes
- The Last Stand
- Lie for a Lie
- The Tempest
Line Up
- Veronica Ortiz Rodriguez – Vocals
- Francis Tremblay – Guitars
- Vincent Harnois – Guitars
- Michel Pelequin – Keyboards
- Guillaume Vaillencourt – Bass
- Normand Martel – Drums
Links