Label: Strange One Records
Review by Tony Cannella
From Atlanta, Georgia the alternative electro-metal band is led by front woman, belly dancer Kadria. The uniqueness of their shows has already created quite a buzz for this band, but their potent music should not be undervalued. Inviolate released their debut EP in 2007 and now return with a new 7-song 28-minute EP titled “Feast of Ashes”.
The industrialized opened “Condemned” gives way to a truly pounding and aggressive rhythm. Lead singer Kadria proves she is up to the task as she more than manages to keep pace with the thrashing rhythms flying around her while still injecting the song with a melodic tone – particularly on the chorus. This is my favorite song – hands down! Middle-Eastern like rhythms open the next tune “Illusion of Mercy” and like the previous song, it soon evolves into a hard charging up-tempo metal song. “Feast of Ashes” is a dark, hypnotic ballad type of song. I should also mention that I love this bands lyrics. All the lyrics were written by Kadria and she should be proud of them. She offers insightful and relatable lyrics and the title song is a shining example of that. The next song “The Invocation” is just full-on metal that just goes straight for the throat. “Endgame” is a track with a steady groove and live feel to it – in fact, much of “Feast of Ashes” carries a live vibe. A live acoustic version of the song “Skeptic” is up next and is a good opportunity to hear Inviolate in more of a stripped down setting. A remixed version of “Illusion of Mercy” is next and features lyrics in a slightly different order. An excellent accapella outro version of “Condemned” brings things to its conclusion. Keep listening though because after a couple of seconds you get the hidden bonus track which is sure to bring a smile to your face and shows the band displaying a sense of humor.
Sure Inviolate has a lot to offer visually but that can only carry a band so far. “Feast of Ashes” is proof that Inviolate put just as much into their music as they do their visuals.
Rating – 77/100
Tracklist
- Condemned
- Illusion of Mercy
- Feast of Ashes
- The Invocation
- Endgame
- Skeptic (live)
- Illusion of Mercy (XOK-11 Remix)
- Condemned (outro)
Line Up
- Kadria – Vocals
- Bryon Brown – Guitars
- Chris Farmer – Bass, Acoustic Guitars
- Mike Froedge – Drums