Human Improvement Process – S.T.A.R.S.

Is it me or the metal community in Italy is somewhat short of quality production resources? Nearly all Italian bands I've come across lately as well as reviewed seem to have the same problem – questionable production. And to my regret Human Improvement Process with their S.T.A.R.S EP aren't an exception. But this isn't the only thing that was a turn-off during my listening session for the review.

I don't have any problem with modern metal namely its deathcore variation. Moreover, I don't have nothing against electronic elements introduced into the music. If you want to get an idea what kind of music Human Improvement Process play – just take a listen to Bleeding Through and the likes. The guys from Modena, Italy certainly don't strictly copy their American peers – they just stick within the same genre, introducing some atmospheric and epic elements to typical modern metalcore. Although these dudes describe themselves as a mix of deathcore and substep, there's not a single hint of such a monstrous mix here. It's just ordinary metalcore with electronics, nothing to be afraid of. The music in general is just fine, there's nothing to say bad about it – will do for any metalcore lover or metalhead that needs something not too aggressive or complex to enjoy.

There were two things that really disappointed me though. The first one is the mediocre production of the record that doesn't do the band any justice. It all sounds like a demo recorded in a home studio without a proper mix afterwards: metalzone-sounding guitars; drums that pop out of the mix; odd vocal effects and so on. Sure, you get used to it by the end of the EP, but it's really strange why would the band be satisfied with such a sound and release the record before giving it a good tweak. Another complaint is that sometimes you can clearly hear some instruments being out of sync. For example, the guitars and bass drums in breakdowns occasionally do not hit at the same time. In some moments the clean vocals don't hit the pitches right and that sounds really disturbing. These glitches are minor and don't really get in you way if you don't focus on them, but are all over the record and create the impression that the band didn't do any serious editing at all. It escapes my why would they want to to that, but nevertheless it creates a slightly negative impression in general.

If you're not an audiophile and don't have problems with oddly mixed records then Human Improvement Process might give you a nice metalcore listening experience. However, if your ears a picky and you want a record to sound solid, I would suggest something else, since this EP sounds a bit raw.

  1. One Second: Our Eternity
  2. Ascension Of Silence
  3. S.T.A.R.S.
  4. Weight Of Guilt
  5. The Process
  6. The Remaining Hours

The Execution Kollective Records
Reviewer: twansibon
Feb 23, 2011
Next review: Symbolic - Scarvest

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