Realm musical vision is both dirty and vicious as they grapple with inner demons and funnel anger through their respective instruments. Filled with throaty vocals, scraping guitars and rapid beats, the music takes on a somewhat hardcore/metalcore approach as the group go through the motions with hoarse verses and punchy guitar riffs.
Vocally words are barked out with fury and feeling as they are launched out with a gruff overtone that is mildly rap flavored and can draw similarities to Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor. Guitars are filled with static and drenched in distortion as they claw out winding riffs that focus on linear chord patterns and build up pressure with some high fretted squealing before releasing with the occasional burst of sludgy aggression. Bass is fairly modest and repetition is its main goal, as tight riffs are crammed into the tracks and follow the guitars lead with an almost mirror like image. Drums thrash out steady snare filled beats that are reckless in nature and manage to keep the songs moving forward while adding a slightly chaotic element underneath to ensure a steady supply of percussive fuel. The band has some average song ideas in place, and sound genuine in their attempt to create hard edged music.
Unfortunately though, there's numerous downfalls which ultimately detract from the enjoyment of this release. First off would be the production, which is a bit tinny and doesn't do the band any justice in the rich sound department or bringing out range. Secondly would be the vocals, although they have a authentic integrity to them, they dwell upon the same verbal tones too often and sound a bit weak, almost as if they lack concentration or interest. This alone wouldn't be too bad, but when combined with the somewhat sloppily placed words during some parts in the songs, it can become a bit tiring. Perhaps the last negative factor for the band is the narrow guitar sound, either from an odd choice of distortion or shoddy production, the tones sound drowned out by static and are so scratchy that its hard to feel any intensity from them at all.
The music is heavy and the band have solid ideas, but judging from what is contained on this CD, it seems like they should spend a bit more time concentrating on the cohesiveness of the music and refining their technique before they head into the studio again, as "...all this pain..." can feel as though the group have paid more attention to their live show rather than how to effectively function in a studio environment. Realm are still a relatively young band and will no doubt get better as they evolve and progress, but as it stands right now for whatever reason, the tracks included on this release just don't have what it takes to distinguish a trademark sound or burst the band out of the pack.
(2.5 / 5)
