Formed in 2003 and hailing from the hardcore capital of the world, New York’s Verismo are prowling the hallowed halls of metal with their brand of hardcore/punk-infused metal. This is neither hardcore, punk or metal, but some strange hybrid monster with a little bit of all three. This is also not metalcore, for those cringing at the ingredients on the label.

It’s not an easy task finding your own voice in the music business and Verismo aren’t completely unique, I hear a lot of Quicksand’s post-punk/hardcore quirkiness in the album opener, “Enemy,” but I also hear some Snapcase. But those comparisons are generally vague in scope. However, on many song I’m hearing a little known hardcore band from Sweden called Purusam, they mixed hardcore with some serious metal tendencies, male and female vocals and some very unique lead work. I said Verismo aren’t completely unique, and this is true, but the strongest comparisons I can find are against one band that was truly unique and highly underrated and severely overlooked and underappreciated. So Verismo’s sound, for most people, will likely come as a breath of fresh air compared to other bands mixing metal with hardcore.

“City Of Kings” is the first song to make me think Purusam, the main riff is a borderline thrash riff and the tone of the lead work and its accompanying pings are not common bedfellows, but they, strangely enough, fit. The song itself has a great hook, gruff, but melodic vocals—excellent throughout the album—and a killer solo. “The Last Word,” “Bad Day” and “Field Report” invite more hardcore in, while the soloing and vocals maintain the metal atmosphere. The aforementioned “Enemy,” though having a strong resemblance to Quicksand and a funky bass line breakdown, is for the most part more of a metal anthem, as is the metal beasts that are “Moment Of Clarity” and “The Lorax.” “The Legacy” closes the album on a more melancholic, mid-paced note up until the last minute and a half that is all metal: thrash riffs, double-bass and not enough of it.

Verismo is a promising three-piece bringing together three different cultures, Italian, Filipino and Hungarian, to create a very solid debut. Some songs don’t completely flow, the album dips into the negative now and again, but overall it’s very good. The production could be better as it’s fairly dirty-sounding overall, but it’s also one those albums that you’re not quite sure whether or not a better production would fit the music, it may actually benefit from this impure production. Overall it’s a good debut, one that isn’t without flaws, but one that has enough endearing qualities to warrant repeated listens and a more-than-passing interest in the future of the band and their follow-up releases—which hopefully we will hear someday.

AUDIO: Verismo on MySpace

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