Porc's Cutlet hail from Brazil, a place not exactly known for nurturing heavy acts, but then again they aren't your ordinary heavy act. The band brings a very stripped down sound that resides somewhere in between the depths of emocore and hardcore, making it hard to bring any distinct comparisons to mind as they create a sound that stands well on it's own. Instead of taking tried and true cliches of mixing hardcore verse's with emo choruses or fusing rap into the tracks, they plunge forward with what could possibly best described as middlecore. Vocals courtesy of Guilherme are powerful, using screaming that comes straight from the lungs with a harsh overtone and compounding it with hushed emotion or empowered spoken word like vocals. Good range and inquisitive use of dynamics keeps things flowing smoothly although at times the constant screaming does stifle the music a bit, but that alone isn't the main reason why it does as such, perhaps the only problem about it would be on a few songs it's very hard to understand at all what he's saying, tracks like "Raisin" come through loud and clear, but some other tracks are very confusing to follow lyrically, causing the music to sound like a blur of words accentuated with the odd legible sentence. This isn't something that is extremely noticeable, due to the fact that he delivers his vocals fast for the most part or screams them out, but it does sprout up throughout the CD enough to come to the listeners attention. On the other hand, a bit of backup vocals are used thickening the mix and solidifying the high end of the music, plus providing more melody and strength to the emotions exuded. Guitars are fairly lightly tuned and have a more of a scraping feel throughout the songs rather then the deep cutting feeling of some band's riffs, this is perhaps the deciding factor in what makes the bands different sound though, with a very medium paced tone to one of main forces in the groups music, the rest of the instruments seem to get masked under it. Guitarist Vinho doesn't use basic patterns or riffs and instead floats off in varying musical directions which is refreshing although at times it can detract from the overall song progression with a somewhat unchanging tuning and distortion. Although the guitar can be a bit unaltered, It should be noted he does at times go off into some interesting riff ideas and also even brings out the long forgotten technique of soloing. Bass is fairly textbook for the most part thudding along with the drums, there area few moments in the CD where the bass does take a visible role in the music but at most times it ends up giving in and following the path left by the guitar as it bounces around behind the forefront of their music, making it more of a foundation, than a standout force. Some experimental usage is put to the test with some slapping and pauses to let the guitar and other elements such as the odd sampler take over but for the most part it's well nested in the background with the drums while the vocals and guitar dish out the brunt of the aggression on the CD's tracks. Drums are somewhat loose, whether it be bad mixing or light playing it's hard to hear the drums fully and distinguish them with such a high end heavy mix, some rolls are played and the kick drum jabs forward constantly being complimented with some nice tom hits that stick out from time to time, but for the most part they are caught up and lost in behind the seemingly more prevalent stringed instruments. The band without question has a solid basic idea of the music they want to make, but it seems as though it could work much more efficiently, if given a bit more time and refinement. A main con to the release is the slightly muddy mixing on this disc of the bass and drums, it definitely robs the music of a clear dimensional approach and subtracts alot from the energy that could be made. Another overall downside to the CD is definitely the vocals, whether it be accent or pronunciation it's hard to understand what is being said and perhaps more work needs to be dedicated to that aspect for more of an English speaking audience to take notice. All things considered though the band has a fresh sound that easily strays away from comparisons to the usual suspects, which is a definite plus for the band, the music easily charm the listener over when least expected and does have a real authentic feel to it, it just seems like a bit more work on polishing the songs will tighten them up and give them a groove that is more precise rather than being a bit cloudy. Porc's Cutlet slice off a new piece of meat that could be easily served to the masses, it just seems to need a bit more time in the oven and seasoning before it will be a surefire hit.
(3.5 / 5)