Review: HATEOCHROME “Melancholia”

HATEOCHROME “Melancholia”

This band comes from country where playing Metal is illegal. Well, even wearing t-shirts can be risky. That’s why it’s almost impossible to find pics of band’s members – they can be sure that cops would come to their homes and catch them. So that’s as clear as day that I just have to respect their decision and I’ll tell you only that they live in capital city which calls Tehran. I know their names, but I’ll don’t use them (or names of other groups in which some HATEROCHROME’s members play) in review to don’t let any information to pigs or even worse. The most of you will probably think that I’ exaggerate or even am paranoid. I’ll say you only that whole my childhood I lived in quite similar political system, so I unfortunately know what I’m talking about – even if in 80’s there were some accepted, but under control of the Security Service, by government enclaves of freedom’s ersatz. I can understand this conspiracy, to cut long story short. I know that there’re bands from there who aren’t so extremely discreet, but…

Guys describe their music as Progressive Metal. Well, I never was fan of this term and for me it was always at least a little window dressing. But maybe I’m too big orthodox to understand it?!? Anyways, ‘Melancholia’ is the first release ever of our Persian friends who decided to create a band in 2014. Album contains six technical and in its way melodic songs. Guitarist change riffs quite often and you can hear that he doesn’t play since yesterday. They’re rather often calm, roundly. From time to time they become heavier as well. A lot of this melody gives voice of vocalists – especially this female one who’s the main vocalist here, by the way. Guy uses rarely growling. Mostly he sings with clean voice, too. Beating is variable as well, but there’re some speed-ups here. Of course they doesn’t happen too often and aren’t some, let’s say, crazy ones.

In general this is fine stuff. There’re surely things which should be improved in future, but… Isn’t it always and with every band like that?!? In my opinion to call it Metal there should be more aggression and so on in that. There’re some elements of that in Iranians’ music, but… It’s good and interesting what I hear. But I’d call it Rock and not Metal.  But this is only question of terms and it doesn’t change what I said.