| CD REVIEW Urban Tales |
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Band : Urban Tales I thought I already came in contact with this band, but it turned out I was deluding myself due to the fact that I have a self-titled album by a band called Urban Tale in my collection, released in 2001. This strikes the possibility that it might be the same band, because this Lisbon based Portuguese Gothic Metal act was founded at the beginning of 2005, following the departure in late 2004 of singer Marcos César from his former musical outlet Soul Despair, in order to follow his own musical dreams. With a variety of influences including Anathema, Paradise Lost, Charon, Entwine, and others, César and his band recorded a promo demo which, once heard by film director Ricardo Capristano, convinced the latter to include a song by the band (along with material from the crème de la crème of the Portuguese Metal scene, including The Temple, SK6 and Fiona @ Forty) on the soundtrack to his surf DVD Mais1. The band then records its official and self-titled demo album, and releases it in 2006 to critical acclaim and commercial success: the album gets massive airplay on the Portuguese radio stations, a video clip is made for one of the songs, inclusion of the demo in several year-lists, and the band gets several awards...as well as a recording deal with Greece's Burning Star Records, who release the band's official debut album Diary Of A No in November 2007. Again, press media expressed themselves in the warmest superlatives, and the worldwide released album in fact sold out! The 2 videos made in promotion of the album got massive airplay at MTV's Headbangers Ball, and both singles got not only airplayed over several months on Portuguese national radio stations, but on Metal radio stations elsewhere in the world as well. It also got the band onto some of the more important Portuguese festivals during 2008! No less than 5 singles (each with a video clip) would be culled from the album...in other words, UT had a very impressive debut album under their belts! In late 2008 the band announces a collaboration with Portuguese foundation Fedra(studies rare diseases), and in November they record 3 new songs, of which “Alive” becomes the anthem for said foundation in early 2009. Seen as the single gave the band mainstream attention, it definitely was a huge success as it got the band an additional kind of audience. Without any pressure at all, the band then started working on the material for their sophomore album, and then join renowned producer Dave Chang (known from several Casket Music/ Copro Records releases, among others) to record the first single Stand Alone, which dominated the Portuguese radios for no less than 5 months upon release. A video for the song was premiered on Headbangers Ball a couple of months after the release of the single. At this very moment, second single “Fly Away” is apparently already making waves on the Portuguese radios. Now if the above mentioned influences are of your liking (I also hear some Type O Negative here and there), I suggest you go and have a listen at the songs posted at (www.) myspace.com/urbantales. Besides the 2 mentioned singles off the new album, you'll also find 8 songs off the debut album, and the band's “Rock Version” of “Alive”. Enough material, I should say, to either convince you of the band's qualities, or turn you off. Personally, I don't know what to think. Although the songs are definitely written and played with expertise, there's something to the overall feel which simply doesn't cut it with me. Oh...almost forgot to mention the band's current line-up (which may be the one from the start, at least for the largest part) consisting, besides César, of guitarists João Maia and João Coroa, bassist Tiago Borges, drummer João Coelho, and latest addition Jon Van Dave on the keyboards. I like the fact that in two songs the guys used a sample from some movie I once saw...at least it makes for a couple of memorable moments. Don't get me wrong, there IS moments when I truly like the inventive and somewhat progressive keyboard/ piano runs, but perhaps I feel that the two guitarists play too many riffs to my taste? Well, there àre a couple of nice solos, but perhaps I'd loved to see a bit more additional lead play as well, eh? Or perhaps I a simply not too much into THIS type of Gothic Metal? Maybe it's the combination of the music with the somewhat nasal and nagging lead singer's vocals (oh, weird moment is definitely the spoken word ballad “Despair/ Goodbye Pt.1” - not because it is just piano/ keyboards and spoken word, but because the words are in the band's native tongue)? I don't know...but I dó recognize good music when I hear it, and that's why I still give the album such a nice rating after all. 84/100 Tony. |