Freaky Jelly, strange name I know, has been around since 2013 but three of its members were playing bars in cover bands since the early 2000s. They became a quintet in 2014 and released their debut album last year titled Reverse. In the band are Ricardo Destefano (voice), André Faustino (guitar), Rafael De Paula (bass), Julio Vince (keyboards) and Maurício Gross (drums).
The band play melodic heavy rock and prog, quite technical at times but with a very nice sense of melody. Lots of change ups and time signatures so you can be rest assured there is no shortage of proggy moments. Three of the tracks hover around the ten minute mark and none are under five minutes so there are many instances where the band stretches out instrumentally. Destefano’s vocals are quite good and the vocal melodies are certainly important to the band’s music. The first track “Highest Ground” starts out mellow with soft orchestral keyboards before drums and bass start a subtle groove and the guitar riffs begin the heaviness. The first transition could have been a little smoother but that is a minor complaint. Some delicate acoustic guitar nicely compliments the heavy riffs and the ensuing electric shredding is quite melodic and catchy. The heavy prog metal of “Alicia’s Garden” has early Circus Maximus influences and includes pretty cool keyboard and guitar solos. The technical riffage is all over the place. The next track “Nothing To Feel” is a nicely flowing tune with melodic balladic sections and more technical heavier parts. “Saints And Sinners” is the longest track on the disc featuring dramatic heavy rock and progressive metal. The pretty ballad “Hardest Part Of Goodbye” is another nice track with wonderful lead and backing vocals and tasty guitar and keyboard work. Nothing is overly light here as the song soars with both power and finesse. The album ends with the four part “Behind The Memories” which really plays as four separate tracks. Nevertheless, the band displays considerable chops throughout with a multitude of pace changes and twists and turns. This one has the band at their most aggressive. My only advice would be to make some of the transitions smoother as one does get the feeling the band is adding complexity just because they can. Still, I very much enjoyed listening to this track and the CD as a whole. There is plenty of talent on display and with a little refinement Freaky Jelly could put out a killer album. Will be listening closely for their next release.
Track Listing:
1. Highest Ground
2. Alicia’s Garden
3. Nothing To Feel
4. Saints And Sinners
5. Hardest Part Of Goodbye
6. Behind The Memories ��" Part I ��" Illusions
7. Behind The Memories ��" Part II ��" Reflections
8. Behind The Memories ��" Part III ��" Wake Up
9. Behind The Memories ��" Part IV ��" Morning Glory
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