Raintime – Flies & Lies

Raintime hail from Italy and ‘Flies & Lies’ is their highly ambitious second album. Perhaps the name of the band implies another Italian power epic metal group but that is not true in this case. Forget about what Italy had to offer to date. Raintime introduce a whole new perspective in what is called Italian metal. Their influences from the Scandinavian ‘metal school’ are evident throughout the album and this is, according to my humble opinion, more than acceptable…it is essential.

Raintime have managed to master the melodic death metal sound and blend it brilliantly with the Italian progressive/power style. Aggressive groovy riffs combined with mellow lead guitar harmonies denoting outstanding guitar skills, frantic and melodic keyboards, a rhythm section that causes vibrations and earthquakes and a lead singer who can actually sing anything are the elements that constitute this great album. Raintime demonstrate high technical ability through every song in this album but they don’t overdo it, they don’t sacrifice melody and emotion just to show off their excellent musicianship. The singer knows exactly when to be aggressive and brutal and when to be sensitive and emotional and the rest of the band follows accordingly.

In terms of the track list, the album consists of 11 well-thought, well-organised and well-produced songs. ‘Rolling Chances’ is my personal favourite as it incorporates all these elements that occasionally make me say ‘I wish this song was mine’. ‘Flies & Lies’, ‘Apeiron’ and ‘Rainbringer’ also fit comfortably in what constitute the best moments of this record. The sensitive side of the band is clearly highlighted in ‘Finally Me’, a glorious old-school ballad for those who chose not to ignore and never forget the roots of heavy metal. And finally, on top of all that, the band offers us a remarkable cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ – you will love it. Raintime are one of the most promising newcomers and we wish them all the success because they deserve it.