Somewhere at the end of 2006 I travelled to the North of the country (with an extreme hangover as I recall very well) to see the first Dutch show of the band Dry Kill Logic. One of the opening acts was the young Dutch band Chiraw. That year they also entered the Metal Bash competition, and won! Last month my band Model 101 had to play with them, so we caught up a bit and I received their full length album Dark Frequencies to review. Here we go!

 

The progress the band has made is very clearly heard on this album. The twelve tracks sound very professional and quite well arranged. The production is awesome, so no complaints in that area. I like that they’re toying around with rhythmic parts a little bit here and there, they seem to be quite good at these things, which I also noticed in their live performance. But unfortunately not all is well I have to admit.

 

There are some things I don’t really like on Dark Frequencies. For starters it sounds like the synth guy is using the same sounds from his equipment in almost every track, which becomes a bit annoying. Furthermore I don’t really like the emo vocals. They’re quite alright if you’re into the style but no top of the bill for sure. The emo parts accompanying these vocals are unfortunately as standard as can be, also a bummer. And then there are the occasional hardcore parts, which sound a bit out of place to be honest.

 

In my point of view the band has delivered a pretty nice but very professional effort in the Dutch metal scene. There are some things I don’t like, but that could also be a matter of taste. I would like to see them work with the rhythmic parts a little bit more, and perhaps push the emo parts a bit more to the background. Nevertheless, if you get the chance to see them on their Dutch ‘Macbeth Dominance Tour’ be sure to do so, you will be treated on a tight and promising metal band. I for one will stay tuned to what they do in the future.