A very strong debut that is highly recommended.

Don’t you just love an album that can’t be pigeonholed into a particular genre; one that keeps you guessing all the way through its musical journey? You do. Well read on as I think ‘Turning Maybes Into Reality’, the debut release from Italian four piece Rhope, will be very much to your liking.

The Rhope sound can best be described as an unholy alliance of groove metal, metalcore and traditional metal with the odd bit of thrash thrown in for good measure. Think of the much missed Pantera relocating to Gothenburg and jamming with the likes of Soilwork and In Flames and you’ll be part of the way there. If you also invited progressive metallers Nevermore along to the party then you’ll start to see the reality (sorry!) of where Rhope are coming from.

By now you might be wondering what is a band - that in many ways are sitting on the cusp of metalcore - doing on a website like Rocktopia? Well that can be summed up in one word MELODY! Groove and melody are at the heart of all the songs on the album mixed with a real sense of drama that comes from the juxtaposition of loud, visceral down-tuned guitar passages with quiet, often reflective moments. They also mix the clean, mid range, sonorous vocals of Giammi Giuliani and guitarist Diego Minach’s throat ripping growls extremely well. In many ways the vocals become instruments in themselves that only adds to the theatre and intensity of it all. These are used to greatest effect creating lots of light and shade in the seven minute epics ‘Extinction Is Forever’ and ‘False Needs’. 

This album isn’t all about long epics. Hell no! The shorter, punchier numbers like the powerful album opener ‘Slave’ or the faster paced ‘Into The Box’ work just as well as do the more melodic tracks such as ‘Parallel’ and ‘Your Peace’. The band aren’t afraid to show their quirky side either none more so than when bassist Paolo Minach breaks into some funky slap bass on ‘Entropy Of Brain’. In fact while I’m at it I’d like to single out Paolo and his rhythm section partner tub thumper Giovanni Tani for particular praise. They are given plenty of room to express themselves throughout and do so at every opportunity while still nailing down the groove. Not every song works though. The aforementioned ‘Entropy Of Brain’ is a bit of a mess where they just try and throw too many ideas together and album closer ‘Now’ is a rather insipid in places causing the album to end on a bit of a whimper.

However, this is a very strong debut that reveals more and more with very listen and as such is highly recommended.

Alister Strachan