Artas - The Healing

November 4, 2008

Reviewer: Peter

Ever since the middle of this decade, the metalcore scene has been littered with many bands that are often hard to tell apart.  The usual breakdowns, throaty yells with clean vocals mixed in, and just flat out foot to the throat brutality.  That is not to say that there haven’t been any real breakthrough bands, as Germany’s Heaven Shall Burn has proven.  However, their success also brings a number of bands trying to ride on the success of the genre within the continent of Europe.

This is where Austria’s Artas steps into the picture.  Referring to themselves as “modern metal,” it only conceals the fact that they play music that other bands have tried to copy.  That is not to say that they don’t do anything new, as they actually sing in three different languages: English, German, and Spanish.  On their debut album The Healing, this facet shows up, although it really doesn’t do much for them, as their music is about as exotic as roast beef and potatoes.

The proceedings for The Healing kick off with the track “Barbossa.”  Right away, all signs point to a potential disaster, as the track shows all of the characteristics of your everyday metalcore band.  The track also goes over the 5-minute mark, which is too long for a song of that genre.  Most tracks should be able to get the point across in four minutes or less, not drag on needlessly.  That is not the real problem; in fact, the real problem lies in the cover of the song “Gangsta’s Paradise.”  Yes, you read that correctly, a metal band covers a rap song.  This was not a good idea to begin with, but it is made even worse by the fact that the meathead side of the band tries to work together with the sensitive side of the band.  The results are what you think they would be: awful.  There is some sign of hope for the band though, as “Through Dark Gates” and “Blut” show the band’s ability to get deeper than the derivative metalcore sound.  That all fades quickly once “The Butcher’s Guilt” starts though.  From there, it proves to be a challenge to just try and finish the album.  Try as I might, The Healing just falls short when it comes to original ideas.  Even singing in three languages isn’t good enough without substance.

Overall, Artas proves to be just another metalcore band with some gimmicks.  Sure, the cover art is enticing and the band name actually provides some intrigue.  All of that is just makeup to hide the ugly blemish that is the music that countless others have done.  It’s hard to sit through an album that provides nothing new and if you find yourself listening to the rap cover on The Healing, no one can blame you if you just rip the CD from the player and just throw it out the window.

Release Date: September 26, 2008
Label: Napalm Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Barbossa
2.  Bastardo
3.  Gangsta’s Paradise
4.  The Healing
5.  Fick Das Fett
6.  Rhagenfels
7.  Through Dark Gates
8.  Blut
9.  The Butcher’s Guilt
10.  Kontrol
11.  From the Dirt We’ll Rise
12.  I Am Your Judgment Day
13.  A Song of Ice and Fire

Total playing time: 51:02

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