LEECHER - Deviant
Leecher come from Budapest and have been active as a symphonic metal band since 2008. On the one hand they use the typical stereotypes of the genre, but on the other hand they do completely without guitar, opting for three cellists instead, which is even unusual for a symphonic metal band. Deviant is after two EPs, two demos and a debut album the second album from promising symphonic cello metal band from Hungary.
The album begins with a quiet, slightly folk influenced intro where we are instantly greeted by the cellos. Infinite Greed, the first regular track, shows the direction most of the album with be heading for: melodic and accessible metal that comes with the necessary amount of pathos. Although the band doesn’t offer anything truly new, they are playing on a very high level. Vocalist Anett Horvath has a firm yet clear voice that is quite appealing. Substituting the guitars with cellos is what makes Deviant especially intriguing, especially since they are used in a way quite different from how we know them from Apocalyptica, another band famous for its use of cellos. Most songs are really good, and the band also made a very watchable video for their single One-Second Confusion. My personal highlight is Messengers Of Fear which is a really driving track that also highlights the band’s darker side. The fast-paced Get Over It is another song I urge you to check out. The only weaker moment comes with the ballad Rainmaker, which is too long with its seven minutes running time, and also comes rather early in the album, thus braking the momentum at a crucial part.
Apart from this tactical mistake, Leecher did everything right on Deviant and not only have delivered a quite original take on symphonic metal, but also showed that they can play already in the upper levels of the genre. Those who like Delain, Epica and Within Temptation should consider themselves the target audience.