German band Sober Truth cannot be put into a certain genre. They call their music "prog groove metal". This, the band's third full-length album, kind of reminds me about Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, with its variety.

Prog? Well, it is versatile for sure. Groove? Yes, there are bits that make one move. Metal? Mostly, yes. The album starts with goth and melodic death metal vibes. 'Leave the Locust in the Lunatic asylum' is a very catchy song, a strong, punctual opener. Then, the band begins to introduce their variety, with varied outcome. While the music can be catchy, it also can get drab. Going from goth into death metal, from thrash into heavy metal, and from metalcore into stoner, it can get garbled. It's not that quirky, but more like disorganized. At time it sounds like Sentenced's 'Amok (1995), and then like Machine Head's early stuff. Yes, it is that transforming. The songs are all under 5 minutes in duration, so in a way it's kept concise.

Guitar riffs include palm muted stuff, tremolo riffing and open-string playing. There's also a lot of leads. The bass really doesn't stand out, but does its job. The drums sound too triggered. The album is plagued by demo-ish production. The vocals vary from growl to barking, and from grumble to clean ones. The latter ones are the weakest, as they are seeking for right notes.

The lyrics are very personal, and I believe the music is so, too. Sometimes it is impossible to understand artist's vision, and this happened to me with this album. I can't find its red thread. If you are looking for music that cannot be categorized easily, then you might find 'Locust â–¼ Lunatic Asylum' a gem.

Rating: 5+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
05/21/2017 14:21