METAL SCENT – Homemade (2012)

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Rock has no boundaries. METAL SCENT hails from Israel, where they have been playing for six years.
“Homemade” is their third album, the first to be published internationally right after the band arrived back to their homeland from a tour in West Europe. There was an initial CD press at the end of 2011, this is the recent with several extra-tracks.

Metal Scent plays an accessible blend of traditional metal / hard rock with several directions, including nods to the most edgy melodic hard rock and a unique Eastern flavor to their sound. Guitarists Yaniv Aboudy and Dror Yakar are the core force of the band’s style, both playing in the old school spirit but with a modern sound, providing a crazy guitar attack.
Western drummer Ronny Zee (well known for his venture in Testament), proves here his experience delivering a mammoth performance, and together with bassist Shahar Cohen both are the guiding machine that kept the rhythm section rolling with finesse.
But the first thing that you will notice on the album is the voice of Rami Salmon. The man is an incredible singer with such a wide range, high and low, that will take you to a journey through the ’80s till today. His throat is a mix of Johnny Gioeli, a young Geoff Tate and in places, a melodic Ronnie James Dio.

Metal Scent’s uniqueness is being expressed as knowing how to combine different directions in music to one hell of rockin’ album.
The songs basically rely on a melodic nature with great harmonies as on “Inner Light”, a great ballad that gets heavier and developed to a perfect harmony of metal.
“Riders Of The Night” is one of the band’s finest songs, the amazing drum work of will blow your mind while the vocals challenged his high note pitch ability. Same with ”All You Want”, a high speed driven rocking song that will break your neck with nonstop headbanging.

“Hold On” sounds more commercial with a melodic hard rock vibe but it is bound by roots of evil, and has mean rhythm guitar riffs slipping into a melodic sweeping chorus that will push you to sing along with the band.
“No Other Way” got the acoustic guitars that presents a Rock N’ Roll driven rhythm aside to classic metal motives. “Visions” start with a cool oriental guitar licks that enters into a strong heavy dual riff that describes this band in the best of ways.
“Time Has Come” shows the diversity of Metal Scent, a this is a pure Melodic Rock tune (even with some AOR touches) including acoustic guitars and harmonic vocals.

Don’t be scared or pushed away by the origin of Metal Scent. The band exhibits a great professional work (much better than many of their Western colleagues), with solid compositions and very good musicianship.
All are talented players, you will notice it as each and every one of them brings his own world to the band’s distinctive sound.
This do not means Metal Scent has discovered the wheel, but there’s something in their crossing of classic metal, hard rock and melodic hard rock that makes them different and interesting. Maybe the absence of the typical cliches of the Western scene.
Metal Scent could be Israel’s hidden treasure. “Homemade” is solid as a rock, with lots of ambition and promise. Don’t miss it.

01 – Never Too Late
02 – Hold On
03 – Men Of War
04 – Coast To Coast
05 – Silks Of White
06 – A Spy In The Sky
07 – Inner Light
08 – Desires
09 – Riders Of The Night
10 – All You Want
11 – No Other Way
12 – The Voice
13 – Visions (bonus)
14 – Everybody’s Gone (bonus)
15 – Time Has Come (bonus)

Rami Salmon – Vocals
Dror Yakar – Guitars
Yaniv Aboudy – Guitars
Shahar Cohen – Bass
Ronny Zee – Drums

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tinyurl.com/metal-scent-CD