SCAR FOR LIFE „s/t”

Genre: Progressive Rock/Heavy Metal
Country: Portugal
Band Website: www.scarforlife.com
Duration: 54:07
Killer Songs: “Kill the Past,” “My Last Words,” “Innocence Is Bliss”

Yes, yes, everyone here, from the reviewers to their readers, are in an eternal quest for a good time. After all, why the chronic music hunger and the continued partonage of this particular section? (Thanks for the good faith, by the way.)

Yet despite the endless searching for killer bands and those rare albums that we treasure, the great stuff does tend to elude even the most adventurous of ears. Enter Scar for Life, a 100% indie endeavor from Portugal, whose five members, for lack of a viable marketing plan besides an internet only relese, have rleased this gem of theirs as an internet only release—for free. Go download it from their website for a quick spin. Then proceed to include them in the “up-and-coming-recommend-to-friends” list inside your head.

Wait now, the music first: beautiful, melodic, emotional, progressive rock with occasional glimmers of the heavier stuff on songs like “Kill the Past,” “The Bleeding Gun,” and “One By One.” Equal parts As I Lay Dying and Dreamtheatre, Scar for Life ‘s music leans on impact rather than technical finesse, even though there’s a lot of the latter makes “Insomnia,” the soothing “Distant Shore,” and the unexpected twists and turns of the title track, which arrives at the very end, so memorable.

While their contemporary influences—screamo vocals, breakdowns, and the adrenalized punch of Killswitch Engage—might turn off discriminating listeners, Scar for Life more than make up for their wrinkles with expert songcraft, worthy musicianship, and the best hooks since the last good Def Leppard album. This is really a mixed bag of goodies for whoever digs radio rock with a harder edge, complex music that’s still coherent, and modern heavy metal that doesn’t throw itself at the mercy of whatever ‘core’ is popular at the moment.

Put this on your ipod, desktop PC, or music player of choice and just let the faultless tunes here take over your thoughts on a boring day. Scar for Life are a hair’s breadth from being priceless, so it’s best we treasre them now lest they sink in the indie music swamp, lost forever. This reviewer hopes not.

note: 8.5/10

Tracklist

1.Kill the Past
2.The Bleeding Gun
3.My Last Words
4.Insomnia
5.Crawling
6.One By One
7.Distant Shore
8.Innocence Is Bliss
9. A Scar for Life

Line-up

Alex S.-Guiatr/Bass/Keyboards
Rez-Vocals
Daniel-Drums/Piano
Dinho-Screams
Sophie-Backing Vocals