Valiria - EP Review
Blind Faith

CD Info
2016
Self-Released
6 Tracks
English Lyrics

There seems to be an increase in the number of Rock or Metal Bands emerging from the Southern Hemisphere. Valiria, who describe themselves as a New Metal Band from Sao Paolo, Brazil, would be an example. They have released an EP titled, Blind Faith, which is full of energy, and addresses current social issues in their lyrics. The music is very good and raw in some aspects, which I would expect from a young band; however, this does not take away from the music quality. It is a little difficult to categorize the music because they change around the normal parameters and create their unique sound which I like.

Valiria began in late 2013 or early 2014, and after some slight changes, has settled on the current lineup. Vocalist Lais Tomaz is also responsible for the song lyrics and helped form the band along with guitarist Luccas Vasconcelos. Rodrigo Sughayyer (bassist) and drummer Sergio Barsant complete the makeup of the band. Valiria, in my estimation, deserves a lot of credit for taking on both social and personal problems. They were not afraid to take on the Church, which is often risky, especially for a young band in Brazil. Themes range from abusive relationships to searching for perfection as dictated by a society where being different is not acceptable.

Before releasing this EP, the band released a single “Uneven Heroes” in 2014. They include an acoustic version of this song on the EP. In addition, they released the single, “Red Hands” in March, 2015. In September of 208, Valiria was invited to be a part of a tribute album to the Brazilian Singer; Edu Falaschi titled “A New Lease of Life.” Lais is credited with writing the lyrics to the songs.

The first song “One Day,” seems to be a scathing view of the abuses of the church in Brazil from a young person’s view. The song opens with a driving guitars and drums that repeat an ostinato before the guitar changes it. Lais comes in with strong, emotional lyrics that at times, seems like she is frustrated. The guitars support the vocals in the chorus, almost providing some harmony. The instruments provide a standard hard rock beat in the interlude before the second verse. At the end there is what sounds like a newscast over the instruments. There are some light guitar riffs during this time before the chorus comes in for one last time. The lyrics for the chorus are:

One day this will be over
Then you'll play my game
Feel my pain
I'll make sure to be the one
Holding the flame

A song that reminds us of how the advertising industry attempts to influence everyone is “Lies.” This song opens with a bass line that has a slight melodic twist to it. This is repeated at different times throughout the song. The guitar comes in with what almost sounds like howls, or eerie sounds. This leads to the vocals, which features unique phrasing that does not end when you think it should. The interlude features the bass and guitar playing a different take on the melody and the song ends with what sounds like a guitar wail. The chorus to this song is:

I love to consume the lies
and all the beauty inside
They make me feel so alive
for just some time

“Lullaby for Madness,” the third song on the EP, appears to be talking about recovering from a bad situation, and the tendency to hold on to something painful. The song starts out with bells ringing and voices talking before what sounds like a keyboard playing some chords. This leads into a heavy guitar sound with drums underneath. Over this, the vocals come in very strong. Her voice seems to be very close to the top of her range, which gives a fragile, overall sound. In the chorus there is some nice vocal harmony. The interlude is a little different in that each instrument plays little snippets rhythmically. The sound is very light in texture. The chorus lyrics are:

I'm starting to forget your face
Then someday I will erase you from my pain
This is the final move of our dance
I'll rip apart my heart so nothing can remain

The fourth song, “Come to me,” starts out with a guitar playing an arpeggiated chord pattern. The drums play an off-beat pattern before the lyrics. At different spots in the verse, there is some close vocal harmony, which is nice. Through the guitars and drums, there is a slight Middle Eastern tinge to the song. The voice in the chorus has a high, semi-wail quality. Toward the end, it takes over the song and is ethereal in sound, as well as very rhythmically, flowing over the instruments. Here the chorus is:

Come to me
Lie me down and tight my knees
Close my eyes and love me
Until my tears hit the ground

“Uneven Hero” is the final song on the EP. It is an acoustic version of the song Valiria released as a single in 2014. The theme here is about an abusive relationship. This song starts out with the guitar playing an ostinato pattern while the bass plays an excellent countermelody to the guitar. Later the bass continues that countermelody against the vocals, which are very exposed throughout the song. This song is a bass player’s dream as it is that prominent in the song. Throughout the song, a tambourine is played for percussion which adds a nice touch. The guitar plays the interlude with an ostinato pattern. Lais shows a lot of emotion while performing the song.

My favorite song on the album is “Shot me Down,” a song which I would consider to be a true rock song. The theme here seems to be about a nasty break-up between two people. The energy is apparent from the beginning with the steady drum beat and driving guitar. Before the vocals, the guitar changes slightly. At times, instead of playing all the time, the bass and drums play short patterns at different intervals. The vocals are interesting in that there is a slight off-beat feel to the lyrics. The voice has another emotional touch during the chorus. The guitar, in the middle, mimics the vocalist. After an instrumental interlude, the style changes both instrumentally and vocally. There is a slight reverb to the voice for a short time and the energy continues through the song. The lyrics to the chorus are:

You shot me down
Cut my wings like you did to
my dreams and caged me inside your insecurities

Overall, Valiria has released a very nice EP. The song lyrics are very current and the music is surprisingly good. They are a mix of Hard Rock and Metal, with a twist. There is a hard, raw edge to their sound. This EP would be a good addition for those who want to expand their Rock/Metal library. For additional information on the band, please check out the following links:

www.facebook.com/valiriaband
www.valiriaband.com
www.youtube.com/valiriaband 

8.0/10

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