REVIEWS

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Bella Morte
Beautiful Death

Metropolis Records

Posted: Friday, October 10, 2008
By: Denyss McKnight

The beauty of established record labels is that eventually you can count on the stamp on any record to basically already know what you're getting into - Metropolis is no exception. You can anticipate keyboard and electronic laced rock that the majority of the generations' misled youth will undoubtedly relate to, as did the past generation with labels like Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords, Hellcat etc. To the point, Charlottesville, Virginia's Bella Morte demonstrate the point perfectly with their new release Beautiful Death, full of heavy down-tempo, minor key songs with sweetly written piano lines like opener "Find Forever Gone" to break things up a little. The rhythm section is tight and punchy with enough guitar crunch to accompany, which makes this writer think of Evanescence, while the vocals are reminiscent of any of your favorite European synthpop or EBM acts. "Black Seas Collide" has a great metallic breakdown that will induce fist pumping, but it's chiefly the last half of the record that gets the head bopping and the toes tapping. "One Thousand Years" displays the band's stronger songwriting moments while "Burn the Sky" kicks you in the head with a much needed swaggering rock stomper that still maintains its moodiness perfectly and interludes with some very impressive electronic work. "Eternal" is sure to please any fan of AFI's newer albums and takes its place as my favorite song on the record. Andy Deane's voice croons and wails over a crunchy but still smooth execution and helps close the album nicely. "Nine Hours" shows the band’s penchant for those pretty honey dripping piano instrumental parts and ends on that note.

Bella Morte doesn't seem as interested in reinventing the wheel as they do in coming out with songs that they think you will want to listen to; catchy, simple, and effective. If you've ever wanted to see what Mesh would sound like with heavy guitars, this is your thing. If you think The Birthday Massacre is a giant among men, this is for you. If you just want an album that you can listen to and smile bittersweet over, Beautiful Death is an essential part of your music collection.