‘Lapse’ is the latest single from Melbourne-based metal act YLVA. The song has an immediate tendency towards the progressive with its fair share of strange time signatures. As the song develops they have a few more liberties to take as well. The result is a progressive metal track that sets them above the pack for the genre.
The timing structures will definitely take a bit of getting used to. The use of strange accents, even on more conventional tempo structures, is enjoyable thanks to the level of natural aggression that they manage to evoke. As that would dictate, YLVA has cohesion down to an art form and it’s a good thing too considering the complicated subject matter of music that never falls on a simple beat. But it all comes across fluidly, so much so that they can colour it in and provide a well-textured piece of music.
From a beastly beginning the middle section of ‘Lapse’ lives up to its title with a moments of suspicious quiet and restlessness. After a short interlude they throw themselves back into the fray with gargantuan riffs that tear your headphones apart. When the sparingly used vocals return the result is absolutely enormous, bringing the song to a satisfying close.
YLVA defiantly produce heavy music that goes against the grain, using odd tempos and structure to their full advantage without pushing the envelope too far purely for the sake of technicality. Definitely a band to keep your eye on.
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