Chrysalis
Reminder
(Self-Release)
Bands unironically taking influence from 00s hard rock and nu-metal has certainly become a thing, in part because we don’t really need any more bands inspired by Black Sabbath, but moreso due to the fact that those artists were vital during the formative years of younger bands. A lot of the bands from that era weren’t worth the elitist rage, either, though here’s hoping Limp Bizkit can stay in the past. California-based group Chrysalis definitely feel like a blast from the past, with an interesting range of influences on their style of alternative metal. You can hear bits of Lacuna Coil, Skillet, Deftones, Bullet For My Valentine, and Coheed and Cambria, just to name a few.
So it makes sense that Reminder is quite a diverse listen; no two tracks really sound the same, though there are definitely some uniting factors: a Gothic and symphonic touch, big, airy riffs, and vocals that tend to stick to melancholic melodies. Basically, the opener, “My Eternity” does a nice job of highlighting how Chrysalis can successfully bring all those disparate elements together into something impressive. Interestingly, the next song is a raging all-screaming metalcore song, and while it feels out of place (Yessi Burton’s vocals are definitely a mixed bag, and his harsh tone is not a good touch), the instruments do a fine job. That’s probably a general critique of the record: Burton’s understated delivery ranges in quality throughout, especially in the slightly underwhelming choruses, but the rest of the band does a good job of pulling off whatever style they wish to. It’s a credit to the band as a whole that Reminder is as cohesive a listen as it is when you can have slower, groovier tracks balanced nicely with all-out metallic ragers without hampering the quality.
It’s evident that Chrysalis has high aims; this is a prog band playing hard rock, so that elevates even more familiar moments. Plus, the band never stoop to cheap hooks or overly generic songwriting choices. The talent is there for the band, but the execution just hasn’t quite caught up. Despite my complaints, it’s not that Burton is totally at fault here; when he is on point, everything works so nicely (see: “Sleep In The Rain”, “My Eternity”, and “Angel”) to show off that Chrysalis has a really high ceiling. It’s just unfortunate that they haven’t reach it yet.
