It’s always great to discover bands from not so common parts of the world, it reminds you that music really is universal and that rock and metal never truly goes away. One such band that gained our attention is Semper who come from a place called Las Palmas de Gran Canaria which is on The Canary Islands off the coast of Africa and who have released a new album titled “Khaos”. Spain in particular has a great metal scene and Semper who delve more into progressive stuff seem to combine a hybrid mix of that off kilter Meshuggah and Between The Buried and Me style with a touch of an industrial feel in groove and rhythm.
The first couple of tracks on offer admittedly didn’t grab my attention straight away and it took a few listens through the album to see where the songs fit. The drum sound in particular sounded a little over produced and too digitally mechanical but I found as the album went on that thematically the industrial feel of the songs worked well in tangent with the progressive nature of the music. Rhythmically and structurally it was sound and by the time “Decadencia” rolled in I was genuinely hooked by both the aggression and heavy riffs that swung through prominently.
Some great moments lay ahead though as the album progresses into more complex and interesting territory, the song “Babel” in particular having a much more organic feel while still retaining that industrial vibe especially as the song closes out to a killer Fear Factory machine gun ending. “La Bestia” may have a little Meshuggah vibe with it’s string bending guitar parts but it has a nice funky kind of groove while “Implacable” builds up to a second half that is nuttier than a thick jar of peanut butter with odd time signatures and intricate grooves.
The sound of “Khaos” may be a little too slick at times and could do with a more natural sound but it’s a somewhat minor flaw given the quality of the tracks at hand. Progressive metal is not for everyone but like anything in the genre, a challenging combination of weird song structures and heavy guitar riffs with an impressive drum performance is enough to be hooked by anyone looking for something different in their metal and Semper certainly have that.
TRACKLIST
XII
En Nombre De
Decadencia
Redención
Babel
La Bestia
Implacable
Revolución