Constraint – Tides Of Entropy
Album Review By Rainer Kerber
Constraint were founded in 2011 as a symphonic metal cover band. The demo “Illusion of a Dream” was released one year later. Like many other small bands, Constraint had a long way to go before the debut album was finished. This released in 2016 under the name “Enlightened by Darkness”. The band was able to set an exclamation mark. Four years later, only the singer Beatrice Bini and drummer Alessandro Lodesani are left from the lineup at that time. But the guest musician of the debut album Davide Borghi (v) has been firmly added. With the new lineup, two singles were released last year. With a successful crowdfunding campaign, the band was able to finance the second album “Tides Of Entropy”, which was released a few days ago.
With the opener “Remanent”, the Italians build on the previous album. The strings initially provide a lot of bombast. But soon the rhythm section started. Less bombast, very nice but powerfully played melodies ensure the entry into the metal album. A German-language text could be assumed behind the song title “Einmal ist Keinmal“ (Once is not once). But that’s not the case. In a short conversation, the singer Beatrice Bini told me that she likes the German pun. However, there is no translation, either into English or Italian, that has a similar play on words. So, the title remained in German and the lyrics in English. But then the sound is particularly surprising. Far away from earlier symphonic, it is quite progressive here. And the songstress also sings deeper and sometimes harder. Of course, she also masters the high notes, but uses them discreetly. And she does it more than once, the singing in the mezzo soprano continues with “Golden Threads”. This song is much more melodic. And also, calmer. Especially the beautiful violin parts can impress here. But already at “Eerie Euphoria” the prog rock edge comes back. The first part of “The Big (B) End” is a beautiful ballad. Beatrice is initially accompanied by electric piano and violin. In the later mid-tempo part, guitars and drums provide metallic heavyness. And the singer’s voice swings into the heights of a coloratura soprano. “Omniscient Oblivion” and “Broken Threads” consciously use dissonances and hectic melodies, both for guitars, violins and keyboards as well as for vocals. Again, a German phrase has to be used for a song title. There are also no adequate translations for “Leben ist Streben“ (life is striving). In the bouncer, the instrumental “Coercive”, hectic and symphonic melodies are mixed again. You can also hear epic choruses.
Constraint, or better said, singer and mastermind Beatrice Bini have developed a lot over the past four years. If they originally played classical symphonic metal, they can now be classified as progressive metal. Of course, the epic and symphonic have not completely disappeared. But shut down massively. There is more experimentation with sound and tones. “Tides Of Entropy” is not an album to listen to on the side. The listener’s attention is required here every second. That makes the album exhausting and worth listening to at the same time. It’s great that a band is walking off the beaten track.
Constraint – The Big (B)End: https://youtu.be/Pvt4gfNkL3Q
Lineup:
Beatrice Bini – Vocals
Matteo Bonfatti – Guitars
Gabriele Masini – Bass
Enrico Bulgaro – Keyboards
Davide Borghi – Violin
Alessandro Lodesani – Drums
Label: Self released
Out: March 23rd, 2020
Playing time: 41:36
Track list:
- Remanent
- Einmal ist Keinmal
- Golden Threads
- Eerie Euphoria
- The Big (B)End
- Omniscient Oblivion
- Broken Threads
- Leben ist Streben
- Coercive
Rating : 8/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
