An unfortunate by-product of the saturated musical landscape is that what impresses us and keeps our attention becomes inevitably more scarce. Case in point, the latest release by Sweden's Ensnared, which does harbour some solid riffs and moments of enjoyment, but is ultimately weighed down by a lack of anything overly memorable.
The energy that Ensnared bring to their craft cannot be denied. The fumes of apocalyptic death at the opening of "Spiritual Necrosis" say it all. But where the instruments are on point, the vocal performance is a negation of that same vitality. In what seems like a ghoulish spoken word delivery at times, the vocals lack a sense of fervency that would set them apart from the herd.
Another aspect that further erodes the impact that Ensnared aim for and are absolutely capable of delivering, is the production of Inimicus Generis Humani. The mix of the drums, in particular, saps them of what power they would surely wield if given heightened prominence. Even the guitars feel somewhat hollow, like a faded colour that has lost its vibrancy. One can only listen and imagine how much better an already killer track like "Disciples of the Whip" could be with some tweaking.
Ensnared are a solid band with serious chops, but in the case of Inimicus Generis Humani, that power is dampened by lacking vocals and bland production. To address these aspects would make Inimicus Generis Humani a true danger to behold.
(Invictus)The energy that Ensnared bring to their craft cannot be denied. The fumes of apocalyptic death at the opening of "Spiritual Necrosis" say it all. But where the instruments are on point, the vocal performance is a negation of that same vitality. In what seems like a ghoulish spoken word delivery at times, the vocals lack a sense of fervency that would set them apart from the herd.
Another aspect that further erodes the impact that Ensnared aim for and are absolutely capable of delivering, is the production of Inimicus Generis Humani. The mix of the drums, in particular, saps them of what power they would surely wield if given heightened prominence. Even the guitars feel somewhat hollow, like a faded colour that has lost its vibrancy. One can only listen and imagine how much better an already killer track like "Disciples of the Whip" could be with some tweaking.
Ensnared are a solid band with serious chops, but in the case of Inimicus Generis Humani, that power is dampened by lacking vocals and bland production. To address these aspects would make Inimicus Generis Humani a true danger to behold.
