Band: Ryno Theron
Country: South Africa
Song Title: Breathe It All Away
Label: Howling Rush Records
Genre: Progressive Metal
Release Date: 10 December 2021
Band Members:
Vocals, Guitar – Ryno Theron
Drums – Brandon Carey
Bass – Melody French
Production – Johan Maree
Ryno Theron, guitarist and vocalist from Durban thrashers Truth Decayed, is releasing a new single under his eponymous solo project on Friday, the 10th of December, exclusively on Bandcamp.
Listen to the single on Bandcamp: https://rynotheron.bandcamp.com/
This release is set to kick off the concept EP Series, False State of Reality, which deals with the disorientation that is experienced after traumatic life events. Indeed, it would appear from the themes being explored, that the strife of the last two years has nourished the creative spark in both local and international musicians.
This single departs quite a bit from Theron’s previous output, Howling Rush, and even his work with Truth Decayed. Listeners can expect mid-tempo progressive metal that is heavily guitar centric. I provide this description merely as a starting point, as I don’t think one can quite capture the experimental nature of Theron’s approach with simple genre labels.
The single starts out with a crunchy intro (think Deftones and you’ll be on the right track) which doesn’t overstay its welcome, and by the 1-minute mark you get the oddly soothing main chorus and riff. I point this efficient progression out, because in the age of modern Iron Maiden, a song getting to the point is quite refreshing.
Another positive aspect to the song is its structure and how it navigates between the various sections, especially near the end, which is arguably the more experimental part of the song. The transitions are smooth and it doesn’t feel like different songs were just pasted next to each other in a sound editor (something which may creep in with Progressive metal). By minute 3 the listener is treated to some great guitar work, which is a hallmark of the latter half of the song.
However, as great as the guitar work is, unfortunately the vocals let the song down. I revisited Theron’s vocals on Truth Decayed, and even in the less-clean singing parts of this single, he is a competent vocalist in the lower ranges. He just struggles on the higher range. As highlighted in my prior reviews, I’m a big advocate for guest vocalists, as it provides additional variety and allows musicians to explore wider berths in their music (as is attempted here). As such, that would be my suggestion for improving the output for the upcoming EP series. Theron certainly have shown a willingness to collaborate with other musicians on his previous album Howling rush, so it shouldn’t be a problem. In the end, the vocals don’t make the song unlistenable, but it does detract from the overall quality of the song.
With experimental projects one will sometimes run into an individual part that lets the overall product down (thus the lower score) – it is after all the nature of the progressive beast. Still, Theron’s stellar and experimental guitar work and the highly topical and universal lyrical theme makes this release one to check out. I look forward to the rest of False State of Reality in the year to come.
Follow Ryno Theron on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rynotheronmusic), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ryno_theron_music), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqxELNgcxNTexGbdc5ljmTg) and Bandcamp (https://rynotheron.bandcamp.com/)
Rating – 5/10
Reviewed by Leon du Preez
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