Band : Several Union
Album title : A Look In The Mirror
Label : Casket - Copro
Distributor : PHD
Release date : 24/11/2008
Release : CD

This Italian band from the town of Cesena (sorry, forgot to look up what part of Italy that is exactly, but I think I’m taking a safe guess by putting it somewhere in the North) was formed in 2005 by singer Alessandro Montalti, guitarist Giacomo Domeniconi, bassist Michele Maraldi, and drummer Fabio Foschi.

Taking influences from the likes of Stone Sour and Alter Bridge, the foursome went about creating their own blend of dark aggressive Nu-Grunge Metal, first bringing proof of their musical prowess with the Spring 2006 released 4-track demo Resurrection, which eventually earned the band a rather positive review in the Italian edition of the Rock Sound magazine in April of 2007. Only a month after the band got an endorsement by a new Italian clothing brand, and yet another month later they announced recordings for a full-length were to start on October 15 at Ravenna’s Studio73, production coming from Fede and Paso (I’m guessing those are the studio’s usual recording engineers).

The production would eventually be done by the renowned Riccardo Pasini (of Slowmotion Apocalypse, Ephel Duath, Figure Of Six, ActionMan fame, to name but a few). The resulting nine tracks (“All My Demons” and “Resurrection” being re-recorded songs from the 2006 demo) occasionally get a keyboard flourishing (synth on album opening “All My Demons” and the short album closing instrumental “A Look Inside”, piano on “Broken Memories”, and atmospheric keyboard passages during “Waiting For” and “No One”…and I’m sure I’ve overlooked a couple of moments)…which elevates those songs to another level (one up, if you hadn’t understood that yet). It’s a pity everything has to be drowned in Alessandro’s pretty nasal lead vocals, which are also somewhat…melancholically boring, because rather limited! I mean, he triés, you know, but what comes out is so undeniably fórced it immediately takes the overal music two steps down that same level I was talking about just now!

But don’t take my word for law, okay…and check the band out yourself by surfing either to the band’s  own website (complete Resurrection demo posted in the media section, plus three live videos) or to myspace.com/severalunion (songs posted are “Mirror” and “Waiting On”, the latter also as video clip). Well, when push  comes to shove, I still have to give the album a rating, and at the moment the combination of rather nice music and (bad) vocals only deserves a

79/100

Tony.