CoC : Sarcastic - Inside : Review

Sarcastic - _Inside_
(Plutonium Records / Musica Alternativa, 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10)

Sarcastic had already proved to have some musical skills with their debut MCD _The Tale Begins..._ [CoC #27], so it's no surprise that _Inside_ is a competently written, played and produced album. Mid-paced synth-driven melodic metal can, on one hand, sell plenty of records, and it's generally not exactly a risky style for any reasonably skilled band. On the other hand, however, it can -easily- turn into a stale, tepid, unchallenging kind of music if the band isn't good enough. _Inside_ is an "easy" album to get into. It doesn't demand much from the listener. It's not aggressive or doomy, and it's not technically or structurally challenging. It is, nevertheless, well done -- within those boundaries, that is --, but it's just there, it doesn't really cause much impression; at least not to me. There are several catchy choruses (which tend to be overused) and nice melodic sequences, and the band generally performs well and shows some ideas, which is what saves this album. The average male vocals are well supported by the female vox -- coincidentally, the song I liked the best by far features only female vocals. Overall, _Inside_ just isn't as dynamic or memorable as some of the debut MCD was and therefore, despite some good moments, it's just a piece of well performed but rather uninteresting music.

(article published 14/3/1999)

ALBUMS
1/1/1998	P Azevedo	7	Sarcastic - The Tale Begins...