First adventure for Druparia.
After a first demo in 2020, Tyler Clark (guitar, Mythrias), Josh Gatka (guitar, Mythrias), David Moran (vocals, Once Flesh), Kyle Lash-Taylor (bass/vocals) and Noah Van Dyke (drums) unveil The River Above, their debut album.
Christopher “Kakophonix” Brown (Heljarmadr, Hvile I Kaos, ex-Empyrean Throne) handles violin and string parts, and Dan Paddy (Terranoct) keyboards and backing vocals.
We kick off with Voiceless Regret and its jerky rhythm that borrows from Melodic Death roots as well as energetic Metalcore, making a perfect base for David‘s vociferations. The blast launches the waves of aggression, while the leads provide the melodic touch, just as on Under The Shade Of Sand, where the band adopts more complex riffs, recalling the lively approach of another American band. There’s also Scandinavian influences’ fury that make the rhythm catchy, then Bereavement adopts similar patterns playing with its raw communicative energy that perfectly suited to live performance. The track is split in two by a more ethereal break managed by the strings, but the band eventually returns to lead us into Kintsugi, a rather impressive melancholic composition where the instrumental sometimes takes on more majestic hues and lets the harmonics fly freely, before setting off again at a wilder pace on In Repose, Descend. Although everything seems mastered, the track seems rather chaotic, first allowing only a few more measured passages, then ending almost symphonically with keyboards to join Sever The Roots. At first, the band proposes a more modern approach, then the fury resurfaces and takes the riffs with it until The River Above, where they keep their cruising speed to create a catchy, stirring rhythm to welcome the vocal parts. Firmament…And The Renewal begins with some rather dissonant harmonics, eventually leading into a long, reflective instrumental section, but the vocals resurface, accompanied by some clean backing vocals to accompany the accelerations. The track eventually runs out of steam on its own, before giving way to Bled For Comfort, where we discover a different approach to the melodies that ride the galloping base, brighter and sometimes even more piercing. When Cranes Return also introduces us to new tones borrowed from Black Metal, allowing us to take a breather thanks to the short acoustic break, but the liveliness gets the better of the musicians, who return to calm with The Violet Hour, a cover of The Civil Wars to which the band finally adds its stream of fury for an electric middle section.
Druparia have brought together all their influences to make The River Above a highly energetic album with sharp melodies. It’s a very stirring album, and one that’s sure to satisfy you if you like to frantically shake your head!
80/100