Almøst Human
XS2XTC

There are many things that can be said about Swiss band Almøst Human. They started back in the 90s but it faded away quickly and then they sort of arose again in 2008, released a first EP in 2012 and now they have their first album out for the world to see. They can’t spell, just look at the band name. They are said to be humorous and have worked with radio comedians. And you could guess that they like to do a lot when they are at it. You could also say that they don’t really know how to hire a good artist to create their cover, this album does not look good at all. But how about it then, do they make light of the metal and do they offer something that is wonderful?

I think that you could say that they have found a fairly own sound built on familiar things, they use extreme metal touches in combination with rock energy and catchiness. They also use plenty of melodies; you could claim that they have found a less threaded path into which they have taken their music. The vocals are often aggressive, groove metallic I think – think bands like Gojira or Killing Joke if you want to have a kind of reference. The album is quite long and I don’t think it has enough depth or variation to keep the listener interested through the whole thing. They sure could use a more dynamic approach to their music; it feels a bit overworked like they have slowly stripped away the extremes and eventually making the album feel quite flat.

The idea is good, the songs are not bad but the album as a whole falls a bit flat. It isn’t short or dynamic enough to ever really catch my attention and I find my mind quickly wandering elsewhere, towards bands with more interesting compositions on offer. Their biggest downfall is probably the songs that don’t quite reach the potential of the idea the band works from, and the production that makes it all appear very flat. The vocals are a bit boring as well; they could have been more alive. And if they have used their humour here I am not so sure it really comes through to the listener, perhaps because it is sometimes difficult to hear what the singer sings and when I loose interest I don’t really care much anyway.

This feels like an album that should have been better, like an opportunity wasted for different reasons. A potentially good album that falls flat by several shortcomings and it never really manages to catch my attention. I guess the correct conclusion could be that idea is good but the end result falls a bit short.

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