RHOPE / Turning Maybes Into Reality (2012)

Rhope is a newcomer and this is the band's debut album. They achieve to sign with Bakerteam Records and "Turning Maybes Into Reality" will be released in February 27th. Their style can be characterized as great mix of Heavy Metal, Rock and stunning melodies. A groovy and stylish sound pervades the 12 songs of this new creature. The album was mixed by Diego Minach and Tancredi Barbuscia and mastered by Tom Baker (Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Sevendust) at Precision Mastering in Los Angeles. The striking album cover has been designed by Niklas Sundin (Cabin Fever Media - Dark Tranquillity), while the entire artwork has been created by Mike D (DarkicoN Design - Killswitch Engage).

The fact is that after a couple of listenings I'm not impressed of Rhope's music! And please don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that this album is bad. In my humble opinion, the mix of aggressive vocals along with harmonies, melodies and some other 'modern' heavier elements confused me a bit! The song that grabbed me and made me push the repeat button for a second time was "Parallel". This is an interesting tune with a 'darker' melodic vibe in it but, once again, the 'brutal', in some parts, vocal parts are mixed my feelings! "False Needs" has a nice and 'thrashy' riffing and it's an overall good track while "Comedown" has a really 'catchy' rhythm and a cool melody. The last track, "Now", is also an interesting one.

All in all, this is album left me with mixed feelings. Not bad but, for sure, nothing really got me excited here! I liked some tunes but as I said above the 'brutal' vocal parts annoyed me the most. The music is overall solid and the guitar parts are the strongest thing here. The production is very good and I believe with a couple of changes in the near future this band can go further.
HeavyParadise's Rating : 5,5/10

Track List :

1. Slaves
2. Into The Box
3. Parallel
4. False Needs
5. Lust
6. Your Peace
7. Comedown
8. Truth Lies
9. Extinction Is Forever
10. Entropy Of Brain
11. Cut The Pressure
12. Now