Bríi - Entre Tudo que é Visto e Oculto (Lovers & Lollypops - L&L#115, 2020)
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Bríi is described as an "avant-garde black metal/psytrance” one-man brand from Brazil. I can offer little if any insight into what “psytrance” is other than it apparently being a trance subgenre: on this record, it basically translates to ‘tribal’-sounding beats with a vague similarity to electronic dance music composition… mixed with black metal. Quite the combination, don't you think? If nothing else, it’s certainly ambitious.
Honestly, parts of the album actually work out really well. I’d like to see a better attempt at beat-matching: as it is, the transitions to and from the black metal & psytrance sections are a mixed bag, sometimes succeeding and other times not. Some poorly-executed crossfades exacerbate the issue (especially on “Valias Desmanchando em Queda").
Initially, I thought the black metal sections were the weaker of the two, with somewhat tried & true riffs and ho-hum ‘growl-screamed’ vocals, but they get better (and more importantly, thoroughly head-bangable) later in the album.
Overall, I think this is a really cool and intriguing direction that needs some tightening-up and refinement. I'm keeping an eye on this guy: I’m genuinely curious to see how his work progresses, and/or if/how he addresses the issues I have with this album’s execution. He also has two other projects, Kaatayra and Vauruvã, with more of a black metal focus.
stream the full album on bandcamp