Review by Shannon Shumaker
The awesome thing about Exotype’s self-titled full length is that it doesn’t sound like what every other band is currently releasing. While there are many acts in the metal scene that seem to be incorporating electronic music into their sound, the overall execution doesn’t leave much to be desired. That being said, it seems that Exotype have hit the nail on the head with this release when it comes to mixing both metal and electronica.
Throughout the majority of the album, the electronic parts compliment their Exotype’s sound well – it’s not overdone and it actually manages to add to their sound, rather than overpowering it or seeming unnecessary. The only track that the electronic parts seem a little overdone in is “Nanovirus,” but other than that, the rest of the album is fairly well-balanced. In fact, Exotype would definitely be bland if they didn’t incorporate their own unique sound into their hard-hitting breakdowns and melodic choruses.
That’s not to say, however, that the electronic parts are the strong aspect of the album. The clean vocals throughout the entire record (especially the Linkin Park-esque rapping parts) are not only unique for Exotype’s sound, but they sound absolutely flawless. The clean vocals throughout the entirety of Exotype are on point and mesh very well with the rest of the band’s sound, which was nice to hear, especially on the hard-hitting opening track “Stand Up” and the gorgeous chorus on “Break The Silence,” which is easily one of the best tracks on the album.
The only gripe I have about Exotype is that, as the album progresses, many of the songs seem to have very similar structures, therefore they have the tendency to blend together. While the gorgeous clean, melodic choruses and hard-hitting breakdowns laced with unique electronic parts are definitely Exotype’s trademark, it makes many of the songs on the record sound similar. That being said, however, the transition between the album’s seventh and significantly harder track “Relentless” into the slower, softer, “Familiar,” is phenomenal. It’s just the change that Exotype needed to make in order to shake up this album. Both tracks are very strong, but in their own way, showing that Exotype does have some versatility on this album.
Exotype, as a whole, is a unique blend of metal and electronica. While I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into listening to this album, I was pleasantly surprised in Exotype’s amazing execution of these twelve songs. They’ve managed to find their own sound in this rapidly growing genre, which is hard to come by, but Exotype make it seem easy.
Rating: 3.5/5
Listen to “Break The Silence” or “Relentless”