Rhine (Seattle)

Rhine

An Outsider

release: 5 February 2016

independent

Facebook says: "Rhine is a progressive metal band from Seattle that started as a solo project in 2011 by singer/guitarist Gabe Tachell. Now joined by Alex Smolin on guitar, Carlos Delgado on drums, and James Porter on bass."

Metal Bulletin Zine had previously observed that Rhine is kind of making up its own rules on this album, pushing for idiosyncrasies in the sound. They don’t sound really, really absurdly strange now, just loud, abrasive and somewhat experimental. They sound like extreme metal, but their followers could be in for a shock next album because this band will likely increase the maverick factor by ten …” and also: “Once a band starts down the misty mountain high sierra hop, there’s usually no going back to ‘regular’ or ‘normal’ metal.”

That is 2014’s album “Duality.”

Welcome to the circus 2016: “An Outsider.”

Rhine has become more unpredictable and the listening experience is rather unstable: one moment it’s kumbaya mellow yellow soothing vocals and clean guitar and then it all comes to a screeching halt with animal growling and obnoxious extreme sounds. Exactly how many personalities does this music have? It’s strange, it’s heavy, it’s light, it’s prog, it’s extreme, it’s pleasant, it’s jarring, it’s all of that. It’s experimental, multi-genre music for listeners that seek a disturbing experience, not easy listening music. On the other hand, if you enjoy a band like Arcturus or Sigh—you know, the crazy stuff—then this would be a band to check out. Come and get it, if you want a challenging listening again.

www.facebook.com/rhinemetal