Hailing from Kolkata, India, What Escapes Me have issued their debut (and self-financed) release “Egress Point” to the masses to delve into.
With the opening song “Coalesce”, we’re treated to a nice mid-paced guitar sound that drives the short opening track, not to mention a nice sarangi effect which helps add a nice aura. “Maze Of Mutual Apocalypse” follows with a djent formula that I wasn’t expecting compared to the start of the album. It’s well put together but somewhat forgettable in the grand scheme of things. “My Reality” follows with an approach similar to the previous track in delivery, but it amps up the technical aspect with a precision that was somewhat lacking previously. There’s a well-placed use of the sarangi yet again in the background of the final minute of this track, which is used for atmosphere and not dominant over the other instruments. “Pseudo Showcase” features a more chugging attack than the previous tracks with a nice technical pace when slowed down. There isn’t as much of a djent influence, which is welcomed. And at this point, I start to have my patience worn down considerably with the song “Flashback” going right back into the forgettable djent delivery that I grow wary of. The band was starting to make some headway for me before this track started, and I was hoping there would only be fleeting glimpses of the aforementioned sub-genre as opposed to a deep homage.
The rest of the album for me has certain aspects that can be appreciated, but for me, I’m turned off by the lack of originality it possesses. Although the band is very talented and they showcase an impressive songwriting ability, I find the djent influence as a major turn-off, especially with so many bands doing the same thing these days in one of metal’s most diluted forms. It’s not necessarily overbearing, but the overall tone and impression is there for me to not be able to focus on the finer points of the bands musicianship. Another problem for me is the rough vocals, which leave a bit to be desired and sound a bit thin, but the clean vocals help make up for it as they are driven and polished.
For me, this is one of the releases I receive that fall into a category of “promise”, but suddenly shift into “generic”. I want this band to challenge itself more, and from hearing the first half of the album, I can tell that they have all the tools to one-up themselves on the next release. The blueprint is there, but this talented group needs to move on from “follower” to “innovator”. Let’s just hope the latter is possible in this case.
Tracklist:
01. Coalesce
02. Maze Of Mutual Apocalypse
03. My Reality
04. Pseudo Showcase
05. Flashback
06. Avenge07. Empty Signs
08. Killing Tomorrow
09. Section 66 Part 5
10. The Truth Of A Lie
Playing time: 49:31
Release date: 27 April, 2016
Label: Independent
Website: What Escapes Me Bandcamp
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