Audive – Revanche (2022)

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The Rio de Janeiro AUDIVE released a debut EP called REVANCHE, featuring a post-apocalyptic conception that was based on another record, that before was just a project and now is revived.

I had already interviewed Renato and listened to some songs by the band, and now with this EP we can see how they sound and the maturity of their music.

The lyrics are very optimistic, although residing in a theme of the end of the world, bringing as a central idea the overcoming and victory over all odds. Intro (Monstro), which is a full song, is heavy and an excellent introduction to put the listener in the mood for Monstro, telling a story about the main character whose existence and rejection by society he can’t understand. It’s a fast song, with wonderful clean singing, despite sounding a bit out of tune, and, at least for me, it brings a nice dynamic to the voice and makes it more dramatic. Metastasis is influenced by American metalcore, especially Killswitch Engage and Bullet for my Valentine. There is a guttural/shouted voice sounding clean, clear, and the instrumental parts have a heavy metal influence. De Onde eu Parei follows the path of the previous track, but also brings surprises, as the use of a spoken melody instead of singing.

Superficial presents a duet between the clean voice and the harsh vocals, along a very cadenced, powerful, and strong guitar. Armadilha features an instrumental combination showing an evident drum line and vocals, demonstrating the energy from the beginning of the EP has not yet faded. De Onde Parei contains some of the best lyrics and a very interesting idea in using a rap-like vocals, a very common feature in American Metalcore which we here in Brazil should explore more.  Traços de Alma is slower and lighter, though a good song to end the album.

My observations: Audive is a very good band, with good musicians and a polished production. However, the super clean production annoys me because it makes the songs sound too similar. I feel the band is trying to put all their influences at the same time, and trying to create an identity which seems lost in some songs. I think something is missing apart from the fact they are excellent musicians, perhaps they could use better the clean vocals, because they are very beautiful, well-tuned, and the bass player, that stands out above the average.

As a first complete work this work is excellent, but in the long-term they must find their own identity.

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