Triple Feature: Hartlight, Screetus, Sunnata

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This time, I have three albums that are solid to share, but I think they also have some obstacles that hold them back from greatness. Read on to find out about Hartlight, Screetus, and Sunnata.

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Hartlight hails from France and is made up of Noémie Marie on vocals, Adrien Djouadou on guitar, bass, backing vocals, duduk, and programming, Adrien Guingal on guitar, and Pierre d’Astora on drums. They play music that is a cross between symphonic metal and Gothic metal with some progressive twists. I think this sound is less common than it was 15-20 years ago, and so I was excited to hear this album.

I have some positive comments, but also some negative. For the positive, I feel like the band balances melancholy and energy very well. There are lots of great riffs and spacious instrumentals, and the vocals are quite good. They really excel on their more cinematic and theatrical tracks.

For the negative, I do find that they get bogged down at times into tracks with the same sort of chugging or symphonic metal clichés—you know what I mean, the Kamelot blast beat rhythms that often feel like crutch. I think that is normal for a young band of the genre, though. Still, it makes some of the songs average at best, while some tracks are spectacular.

My favorites are “That Which Stagnates Is a Liar” for its swelling and beautiful sound; “Let the Fangs Bite” for its dark drive; and “And Nature Unfolds Once Again” for its theatrical second half; and the visceral, terrific closer “All Life Begins in the Dark”. All of the songs on the album have merit, though, including some great keys and guitars that elevate everything. I really do think this band will find themselves and produce some fantastic records in the future.

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Screetus comes to us from India and includes Abhishek Sikdar on vocals, guitars, keys, and programming, Arnav Sharma on bass, Vamsi Krishna on guitars, and Vijayendra Singh Rawat on drums. They play progressive metal/rock that is influenced by the alternative side of things, like Porcupine Tree.

Again, I have positive and negative comments, and I find that the negative ones came to me after a few listens. The band has a sound that is exciting and sort of catches you in its flow. Their rhythm section is terrific, which you can hear from the very first track “Slipstream” when the beat finally hits. And when it hits, damn, does it sound good. So, you know the deal, they have groovy bass and intricate drums (that honestly remind me of Gavin Harrison at times) and distorted waves of guitars and lots of interesting fingerwork. The keys are mostly atmospheric, but sound great, too.

On the downside, though, I think that the band suffers in a few tracks where they don’t seem to know where they are going, like they are playing in circles until they find the next deliberately constructed part of the song. The vocals, too, are a mixed bag. They sound great on some tracks, but, honestly, quite grating on some others. I think the vocalist needs to understand his strengths and lean into them more.

This album does really rock at times, though, and I think prog rock fans will like it. “Slipstream” is my favorite, along with the instrumental brilliance of “Torn” and the eerie ambient closing sounds of “Quicksand”. I really like “A Beckoning Part 1” as it sounds rich and well-conceived, as well. All of the songs, again, have good things about them, and I think the band will only get stronger with more albums.

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You may remember Sunnata from when I reviewed their 2021 album Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth. The band comes to us from Poland and includes, as far as I can tell, Szymon Ewertowski on vocals and guitars, Adrian Gadomski on guitars, Robert Ruszczyk on drums, and Michal Dobrzanski on bass. They play something of a cross between stoner rock and doom metal, though I think Alice in Chains-esque grunge is a huge influence, as well.

I have to admit that this album is a disappointment for me. I love the band’s haunting and ritualistic sounds, full of droning mantras and dark soundscapes. And when the band said this album was their most complex yet, I was excited. However, I do believe this is a considerable step down from their previous album. Why? Well, this album relies way too much on the droning vocal harmonies to the point where two things happen. First, every song sounds the same. Second, it becomes more grating than interesting. I thought that maybe the album would shift gears at some point, but no, it does not. Almost the entire album proceeds with the same over-reliance on the band’s weakest aspect.

To be sure, there are some very cool grooves to be had throughout the album. “Torn” and “The Tide” both sound really good and the bass is a major highlight. I like “Hunger” for how heavy and Alice in Chains it sounds. I also love the closer “Like cogs in a wheel, we’re trapped between waves of distorted time”, a piece that has no vocals and is mostly an electronic, ambient, grungy delight with a dance beat. So, not until the final track does the band offer something a little different. I wish we could have had more of that throughout the album. In fact, an album with that basic blend of ideas could be really, really good.

I’ve mentioned Alice in Chains too many times, but I have to mention them again. It is obvious that the band tries to achieve some of the atonal harmonies that band is famous for, but what made it work for them is that they only used them for effect in perfect moments. They mixed things up considerably, focusing on melody at times or emotion in others. Those droning harmonies were just one tool they had, not the entire toolbox. I feel like Sunnata’s 2021 release was far more interesting and varied, and Chasing Shadows suffers deeply because of its monotonous approach.