Cumbersome

Three years after their debut LP, Italian black/goth metallers Evenfall released their sophomore album, Cumbersome, again via Century Media. Drastic changes occurred to the band’s lineup and sound in those three years. Three new members were added to the band’s lineup, bassist Melis Cakić, guitarist Boban Milunović and singer Robi Staccuneddu. And the inclusion of a female vocalist had perhaps the most significant impact on the evolution of the band’s sound.

While the Evenfall’s debut album was heavily inspired by the melodic/symphonic black metal genre (Dimmu Borgir and especially Cradle of Filth), on Cumbersome the band explored considerably different soundscapes, at the intersection between gothic, industrial and extreme metal. At times, the music resembles a mix between the electro-goth metal of mid-period Theatre of Tragedy and the avant-garde/industrial extreme metal of The Kovenant. Robi Staccuneddu’s ethereal vocals are soothing and enticing at the same time, reminding me of Liv Kristine’s vocal approach on albums such as Musique and Assembly, while male vocalist Ansgar Zöschg’s growls alternate between high-pitched shrieks and more guttural barks, occasionally bringing to mind Anders Fridén of In Flames. Elsewhere, groovy riffs hint at subtle nu-metal influences, while the pop-tinged alternative goth rock of countrymen Lacuna Coil may have been used as a template for the more atmospheric and melodic tracks.

The previous paragraph already hints at the main issues I have with this album. First, the music is heavily derivative. I dislike name-dropping other bands copiously when I review an album, but the sense of deja-vu I get while listening to Cumbersome makes it almost impossible not to do so. At every twist and turn of the album’s ten songs, I kept being reminded of these other bands that I like so very much, and the similarities are too obvious to be mere coincidence. When you factor in that Evenfall’s previous album – while drawing on very different influences -, was also markedly derivative, it is difficult to shake off the impression that the Italians were in a constant struggle to find a way to emit a light of their own and had instead to be content with playing satellite to brighter stars.

Although I arrived to a similar conclusion also in the case of Evenfall’s previous LP, I find Cumbersome even less appealing than that record because it is highly disjointed, drawing inspiration on very diverse and at times incompatible sources. Styles as different as electro-gothic, black/death, nu-metal, avant-garde, industrial, even hip-hop are crammed together in haphazard fashion into the ten songs of the album. We are even treated with a heavily metallized cover “Entre dos tierras” by Spanish rock band Héroes del Silencio, which really does not fit with any of the other album’s tracks. Cumbersome ultimately reveals a band desperately in search (and need) of an own identity, trying different ideas in an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of fashion, hoping that at least something may stick.

But stick it does not. In fact, there are very few redeeming factors here. One is the musicians’ proficiency, which is high. Boban Milunović’s extravagant guitar solos are particularly enjoyable. The album is well produced too, with a crunchy yet polished sound. Not much else works, however, and this was probably apparent to the band’s themselves, which folded after this record and a few years of inactivity.