The term “melodic death metal” has been tossed around more loosely of late than Bristol Palin’s snizz at a high school house party.  At one point it used to actually imply the music of the band being described was… *gasp* melodic death metal!  Nowadays the term is being used by metal labels and bands alike to describe metalcore that uses a few old At The Gates or In Flames riffs.  One of the major producers of this horrible trend is Metal Blade Records.  For the better part of the past couple of years every release they’ve described as “melodic death metal” on their press releases is, in fact, really shitty melodic metalcore.  Needless to say when I got the promo for German “melodic death metallers” Neaera‘s Omnicide – Creation Unleashed I was expecting the worst, but upon listening to the effort was surprised, nay, shocked, to find that Neaera actually are, shockingly, melodic death metal… for the most part anyway.

Neaera are a German quintet who play a pretty heavy brand of modern melodic death metal with some black metal and hardcore influences.  The riffing seems to be heavily influenced by Swedish acts like Amon Amarth, with an emphasis on being both extremely heavy, but with enough melody to keep the songs from being too one-dimensional.  The band weave in and out of styles effortlessly throughout the album’s ten tracks, going from brutal death metal, to melodic death metal, to black metal, to plodding dark death metal, to deathcore and back.  Each song is crafted in a manner that no one style is used too much for too long and the band change things up fairly frequently which makes it a pretty easy album to listen to.

The musicianship on this effort is pretty solid.  The guitarists are capable of playing multiple styles very competently, the bass playing is solid and the drummer is very capable.  The vocals of frontman Benjamin Hilleke are surprisingly varied, as he grunts, barks, growls and shrieks his way through the album’s ten tracks.  Even the production is very clean and every instrument is clearly audible, which is nice for a change.

So with a solid base of capable musicians and varied musical approach, what sets Neaera apart from other modern melodic death metallers?  Not much.  By no means are Neaera pushing any boundaries with this effort, it’s a pretty safe album that follows the basic guidelines of modern melodic death metal.  While they play their material extremely well and it sounds great, the songwriting is pretty standard as the band refuse to take risks and try to blaze their own path rather than just following what others have done before them.

Omnicide – Creation Unleashed is by no means a bad album, in fact, for modern melodic death metal, it’s a pretty good one, however, having heard these same riffs and song structures played the same way by countless other bands over the past decade leaves me craving something with a bit more individuality.  Overall, the album has solid musicians playing pretty standard material very well.  Not a classic, but still worth a listen or two if you’re a melodic death metal fan.

Review byTeufel