Neblina - Innocence Falls In Decay (2006) (7/10)

NEBLINA is one of the rare metal bands from Angola that has been around in the capital Luanda since 2000. The band went through many line-up changes but finally managed to release its first record "Innocence Falls in Decay" in early 2006 through the national radio studios of Angola. The album had been mastered in Portugal and produced in Angola and has a good but not extraordinary sound quality. A second album of the band is in the works and should see the light of day during the next years but one never knows how things are going in Angola.

Musically, the band is influenced by many Alternative Rock and Metal acts of the nineties. Most of the songs on here are sung in English, are rather short and focus on catchy and emotional lyrics. The tracks are all hold in a mid tempo or even slower. The record includes a couple of very well done half-ballads as well.

The atmospheric "Set Me Free" is one of those great half-ballads. The song uses sound samples of rain and thunder and includes simplistic and appeasing keyboard sounds. The track starts with simple guitar riffs and drum patterns, a relaxing but very well done bass guitar work and smooth vocals that get more and more intense towards the end for example. This might not please to metal purists but the song definitely has its very own chilling atmosphere and really grew on me.

Tracks like "Alone" and "Mysterious Sky" sound more Grunge influenced and are a little bit darker. The multiple vocals, the chaotic but melodic guitar work and the use of almost Gothic influenced piano samples show the multitude of influences and the high degree of diversity of this band. This kind of music also needs some time to grow and you end up getting it or not.

 "Alphaland" and "Holy Angels" feature solid guitar works, a little bit heavier vocals and very dominating keyboard sounds. They have this little Alternative Gothic touch that could come straight from an American band of the nineties.

The catchiest track on here is probably "My Heroine" that has a very transcendent atmosphere with almost lounge driven keyboards, a great guitar solo, a heavier bass and drum work than usual and quite emotional vocals. The chorus is also the catchiest one on the album in my opinion. This would have been a perfect single choice. The almost cinematic opening of the only track sung in Portuguese entitled "Os Filhos da Patria" is also a standout and would have been worth some radio airplay.

In the end, this album is worth your attention if you like atmospheric and melodic Alternative and Gothic Rock music from the mid-nineties up to the new millennium. Fans of rock and metal music from exotic countries can't get around this as well as there is only one other known rock band from Angola which is the Metalcore act BEFORE CRUSH, formerly known as NIGHTMARE TODAY. The songs on here all have some soul and are very emotionally performed but also include a slightly commercial touch. It's the kind of appeasing music that one needs to listen to from time to time to take a deep breath and a relaxing break from your everyday life. It really depends on your mood whether you enjoy this kind of music or not. From an objective point of view, this pioneer rock band from Angola delivers nothing really new but they are good at what they do and spread this kind of music in their metal developing country. From a subjective point of view, I appreciate this kind of music but couldn't listen to this all day long. I hope the band carries on and I'm curious to hear what their new album might sound like and if there is some form of evolution between the two releases.

(Online September 20, 2013)