Piah Mater/Under The Shadow Of A Foreign Sun/Code666 Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Piah  Mater  are  a  duo  Form  Brazil  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  elements  of  jazz  fusion  and  Brazilian  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Under  The  Shadow  Of  A  Foreign  Sun"  which  will b e  released  in  July  by  Code666  Records.

  Synths  and  clean  playing  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clear  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  sounding  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  heavier  riffing  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Harsh  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  jazz  and  folk  music.

  Saxophones  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  as  well  as  one  track  also  being  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  feelings  of  inadequacy  towards  one's  own  homeland,  and  the  inevitable  ambition to  escape  that  place.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Piah  Mater  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  progressive  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "As  Islands  Sink"  and  "Terra  Dois".  8  out  of  10.

  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/piah-mater/986924399

https://piahmater.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-shadow-of-a-foreign-sun

https://www.facebook.com/piahmater

https://www.instagram.com/piahmater/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3vPXZZ7no2PKvWOVUUn3xL?si=775f22fe1d46472d&nd=1&dlsi=3244cd797a074a5c  

Piah Mater Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Luiz Felipe Netto: Piah Mater is a two-piece metal band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that consists of myself - Luiz Felipe Netto - and Igor Meira and we play extreme metal with unconventional deviations, I guess we could put it that way…

2.In December you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

LFN: The sound we achieved on those 7 songs was a product of experimentation with different song structures and combinations of opposing feelings such as restlessness and quietude, frantic riffs in contrast with acoustic passages and so forth. It is beyond me to classify what we created into a specific genre though.

3.The band has been around since 2010 but waited 4 years to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

LFN: We took the two initial years to mature ourselves as musicians, settle down our expectations and define our goals. The writing process for the debut itself wasn't so long though, it took us less than an year to put the whole thing together. By early 2013 we had the album completed, and in the time span between that and the release date we worked to get the production sounding exactly as we wanted (we only got so close!)

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

LFN: I wrote the lyrics for Memories of Inexistence from a very personal stand-point, about things that are close to home for me as I find that would be the only honest way to deliver these tracks, making them personal enough so that others can relate.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Piah Mater'?

LFN: For the name, we wanted a clean slate to start with, something that evoked no prior interpretations to the minds of the average person when exposed to it for the first time. When I eventually came across the name I felt an immediate connection to it. I pitched it to Igor and we both agreed that it couldn't be anything else. It had to be that one.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

LFN: We have plans to expand into a quartet and we are currently working a few connections to make that happen. But if it doesn't, we have no problems keeping the core band as a duo. We'll see how it unfolds…

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

LFN: No labels have stepped up so far. Although that is not something we discard for the future, we definitely are not losing sleeping over it.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of both progressive and extreme metal?

LFN: It's been good so far. At this point I can't say we had exposure enough for me to distinguish between the feedback from the metal and the prog camps. From where I sit, it feels like we are reaching the intersection first, the people that already are familiar with both ends of the Prog Metal scope. Maybe from here on it will become clearer which side will embrace us stronger.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

LFN: We already have a second album pretty much sorted out. I am so deeply involved with it that is hard to say in which ways it sets apart from its precedent, but if I should risk a few words I would say it's more focused, more melodic and overall emotionally heavier than 'Memories of Inexistence'.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

LFN: Igor and I both listen to and get inspired by all sorts of music. Currently I have been listening to some Tears for Fears, Alcest's Shelter and Enslaved's In Times. Igor has been digging Memento Mori, latest Obituary and Cannibal Corpse records and Brazilian virtuoso Edgberto Gismonti.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

LFN: I'm a senior in film school and Igor is majoring in engineering so…  that pretty much summons up our external interests in life.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

LFN: Thank you for arranging this interview and thanks to the readers who have made it this far. We have big things coming in 2015 and it's good to know we're not alone on this.

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Piah Mater/Memories Of Inexistence/2014 Full Length Review

  Piah  Mater  are  a  duo  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very melodic  and  progressive  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Memories  Of  Inexistence".

  Dark and  melancholic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  progressive  death  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  clean  playing  which  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  heavy  parts  and  melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  the  music  brings  in  death  metal  growls  and  screams  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  As  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  songs  start  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  utilizing  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  at  times  and  one  of  the  later  songs  is  an  acoustic  ballad  while  the  later  tracks  show  the  band  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  some  of  the  acoustic  sections  do  bring  in  a  touch  of  70's  progressive  rock  at  times..

  Piah  Mater  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  progressive  and  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  melodic  black  metal  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  encounters,  loss,  and  healing.

  In  my  opinion  Piah  Mater  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anticipation"  "Young  Rust"  and  "A  Greater  Freedom".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Piah-Mater/633422666784294

 https://piahmater.bandcamp.com