NEWBREED - CHILD OF THE SUN - 2007

First of all, I have to say I have yet to be disappointed by a Polish band, and NewBreed are no exception. For an idea of how they sound, I would go for a mix between Opeth (the softer site) and Virgin Snatch (the heavier side). These guys make quite long songs (average on this album is about 8 min), which obviously means they need great musicianship to pull it off or the songs fall into boredom quickly. Fortunately, they sure as hell do!

This is one of those albums that make you wonder where the time as gone, as its full 63 minutes go by faster than many 40 minute albums. As I said, their songwriting is absolutely top-notch, merging heavy thrashy/death passages with acoustic ones flawlessly (I could mention Insomnium as a good reference here, as they aren't far apart, though Insomnium aren't as technical). There is even a fully instrumental 9+ minute song, so if you have any doubts about these guys, check that one out.

On the vocal department, I would say they are a mix of Riverside and Virgin Snatch (curiously, both Polish, go figure). I specially like the clean vocals here, as he has a really strong and emotional voice, while being 0% whiny.

The only reason I am not awarding them 100% here is they have incredible talent and, given the chance, they can pull off something even better, I am sure of it. It's a real shame they haven't got a big label behind them, or they would be big by now. I hope that will change in a near future.

All said and done, easily one of the best albums of the year, and one of the best bands of the last decade.

http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=147638