So, what’s happening in the world of alt-metal? Don’t ask me as I know not of such things but my intellectual capital would perhaps be enhanced by a listen to the “Temperance” EP by Beautiful Skeletons.
“Temperance” is indeed filled with five songs that are practically guaranteed to keep your average metalhead happy with all of these songs being powered by a copious quantity of muscular guitars and beat it until dawn drums. So far, so good especially if you like some maximum volume to go with your antique biker jacket yet there is something more hidden beneath that bombastic presentation and it is some entirely decent lyrics that remain tied to a, rather bleak, reality rather than taking the usual deep dive into upside down cross land.
Maybe it is the fact that Beautiful Skeletons have a female singer that makes the difference as the emotional connection that is to be found in the lyrics, to my ears at least, soon overrides the stylistic limitations expected of this particular genre of music. The devil is, as always, in the details.