Massive Scar Era (review by MMB)

Massive Scar Era: Color Blind

released: 5 October 2018

Years ago, as the story goes, guitarist/singer Cherine Amr sought to form a band, but she kept running into the difficulties that musicians face when trying to find other like-minded people to jam out some tunes, and in this case, it was taking place in Alexandria, Egypt. She eventually connected with Nancy Mounir, a violinist, and they have been working together ever since. It appears that nowadays the band consists of the two Egyptians with a couple of Canadians on drums and bass. The official information lists a total of six EPs, beginning in 2006 and this latest one is the sixth one. This is a short recording with five tracks (four songs and an interlude) and it lasts 16 minutes. The music is progressive, as already noted, and it features the violin, which adds a soft, gentle, melodic feel to the music, and when coupled with the singing, is very pleasant on the ears. That’s not all, though. Growling is part of their sound, for some harsher moments, and there are other little things, like in the percussion, that pop up here and there. Overall, the music is progressive, but it is short songs that are concise and effective. The listener will hear the music as songs quickly and without problems. The importance of the violin in the songs adds somber melodies as a major characteristic of the music, and with the melancholic singing, the result is a work that is easy to understand, but not sugary. Rather, the music is carried by a mood of pensive elegance that in certain spots is jolted with growling/screaming. If the description seems interesting to you, be sure to hear the recording at the link here.

massivescarera.bandcamp.com