Released By : Copro Records
Genre : Hard Rock, Modern Rock, Gothic Rock
Links : http://www.myspace.com/namelesscrime
Tracklist:
01. Feed Time
02. Withdrawal
03. Unsigned
04. Under The Bridge Of Sanity
05. Sleepwalking
06. Tested
07. Season Of The Grey
08. Akinesis
09. Stains
I really had trouble deciding what genre tag to put this album under, but after much deliberation I decided that gothic metal way well just be the closest I can get. I’ve read in places that NAMELESS CRIME from Italy are supposed to be a thrash metal band but I really can’t see it. What I am hearing is a backbone consisting of pretty standard modern alt. metal music with a goth rock style vocal on top. The also bring a small tinge of progressive rock flavoring to the mix especially in vocalist Dario Guarino who sound like a more gothic version of FISH from MARILLION.
Definitely an eclectic mix of styles and sounds and an interesting premise to base a band around and miraculously enough they actually succeed fairly well here. I do think they sound overall a little bit rough around the edges but that will all be improved with time I’m sure. The songwriting seems to be coming along nicely enough and tunes like UNSIGNED, SLEEPWALKING and SEASON OF THE GREY will hold the band in good stead for the future, but the actual application itself is where a little bit of work needs to be done. The first thing that could use some improving is the guitar tone. The actual guitar effects used sound like cheap stomp-boxes at times and I really think the lead breaks need a beefier and fuller sound. The other thing that needs a little bit of work are the vocals. Not that Guarino can’t sing or anything like that, I just feel he needs to work a little on his phrasing and needs to try and get a little bit of the goth rock sound off his vocal approach so the entire band can sound a little bit more like the modern alt. metal that it seems they are trying to be.
MODUS OPERANDI is only the second album from this evolving Italian band so there is still plenty of time to get things right, and the clear growth between their debut and the follow up prove that getting better is definitely something NAMELESS CRIME are interested in doing. I’m still not sure exactly where they are trying to take their sound, but once they get there we may just have a pretty good band on our hands. Unfortunately MODUS OPERANDI isn’t the album that’s going to help the band break new ground, but it is a decent enough effort and can be used as a base point to start the next album off with.
Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 7/10
About Author
