Moker
Translating the Pain ()
Wydane przez Shiver RecordsRok wydania Kraj BelgiumNapisał Wouter6
After teaming up for a split effort with label mates Outcast, Belgian deathcore formation Moker now strike back with their debut effort "Translating the Pain". Where the split album saw Moker still in its infancy it's clear that the year separating both recordings has seen the band working out their flaws and delivering a promising, if not terribly non-descript and conventional, deathcore record. Despite their noble intentions with its Southern sludge/metal inspired artwork Moker brings typical old school oriented death metal with angry metalcore hooks and breakdowns, but finds itself stuck somewhere in the middle of both genres without taking either direction properly. Like many of its Belgian contemporaries this band also finds it necessary to needlessly rehash the classic sounding death riffs of the mid-nineties which are however nicely juxtaposed with sudden blunt explosions of metalcore structures and stylings. Angelo Mannetstätter is formidable on guitar, while Wouter Sels delivers an avalanche of machine-gun blasts on drums. Ad De Wachter occasionally double-layers his delivery, but his poor choice in vocal lines takes the effect down considerably. While Moker would be better off ditching their metalcore influences altogether, the notable absence of intrinsic -core dynamics make the influence feel as a mere afterthought. A little crispness in the production wouldn't have hurt either. Due to the all-around focus on heaviness in the production job the band's sudden metalcore tendencies appear stilted and forced. Despite it professional production values and Moker's intense delivery of the goods "Translating the Pain" is hardly a groundbreaking record or a necessary investment. Definitely a step or two up from their split with Outcast, but there's still a long way to go if they want to compete internationally.
www.mokermetal.be
