The dawn of a new day can hold so much promise. New opportunities, fresh starts, chances to make things right. The same can be said for reissues of albums. Bands hear their work and pinpoint things to improve on or fix. An example of this comes from Italian power metallers Arachnes. The re-worked version of their 2011 album A New Day is due on May 7th and we had the chance to see if 10 years made any difference.
A lush, bass laden intro opens ‘I Know The Darkness’. Synths patter over a deluge of crushing riffs. With our hearts already set to burst from the murderous tones, Iron Maiden inspired vocals soar above the pounding drums like an eagle. What goes up must come down. We plummet into the darkness on the wings of the eagles. A lower register solo embraces us and excruciatingly rips our spines from our bodies. The dawning of a new phase, Arachnes take the opportunity to display their musical chops. The riffs are now rich with lower tones and dirty on the borders of sludge. If this is darkness, who needs light anyway?
Arachnes have incredible knowledge of their genre. Mixing elements from various metal heavyweights such as Avenged Sevenfold and Dream Theatre without becoming a rip off of those is no easy feat. With that being said, this album is not without its faults. As A New Day goes on, the band’s love for a synthesiser is clear. That’s no bad thing, but it reaches the point of becoming overdone. ‘Into The Fog’ starts as an elegant piece of orchestra meets metal. The song elevates itself to the point that it cannot go further, before Arachnes bring it down naturally with their solos. Then add synths. The same occurs with ‘Take Your Life’, not only to the extent the song doesn’t know what it wants to be, but to the detriment of the catalogue as a whole.
‘I’m Sorry’ sees massive chords explode into meaty riffs. Desolate vocals punctuate an escalating solo. For a song which should possibly be a lot softer than it is, Arachnes remind us that seeking redemption can also be a heavy cross to bear. Dual guitars battle it out a lá Bullet For My Valentine, marking an epic duel over a bleak and heavy soundscape. Symmetry is the name of the game as the guitars sprinkle and fade the same way they enter.
It has to be said that Arachnes can create impressive soundscapes. If an old school metal picture of epic proportions is what you’re searching for, look no further than ‘Magic World’. A chaotic intro comparable to early Avenged Sevenfold sets the scent of menacing swirling clouds in a greying sky. The vocals read like the chanting of a wizard over a cauldron. Casting spells of destruction and damnation transform Gandalf into Sauron, magma of Mordor boiling over. Spatterings of deep backing vocals sound like a hype crew of fellow druids or minions as the solo paints a grey sky black. Synths pierce the soundscape, raining down like meteors, lighting up the sky.
A New Day has some true stand out moments. There are riffs of steel and powerful vocals to boot. When Arachnes hit their stride, they have something incredible on their hands. Those moments prove few and far between, however, heavily relying on a difference which they may not need in the first place. Are these power moves enough to outweigh the hesitance we have towards the rest of the album? For us, no.
A New Day is released on May 7th and will be available across all major streaming platforms. For the latest Arachnes news, including new releases and tour dates, visit their website or follow their Facebook linked below.
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