Scarlet Aura - 2017 - The Beast Within Me

(16:13; Outlanders Productions)






















Track list:
1. The Beast Within Me 6:14      
2. Don't Talk to Strangers 5:03      
3. If I Close My Eyes Forever (Live) 4:56

Line-up:
Aura Danciulescu - vocals
Mihai Thor Danciulescu - guitars, vocals
Catalin Ungureanu - bass, vocals
Sorin Ristea - drums
with:
Florin Costachita - vocals
Romeo Cividino - keyboards
Lorena Mitoi - keyboards


Romanian band Scarlet Aura was formed back in 2014. and from what I understand they were an active band from the onset and remain an active and popular band to this day. "The Beast Within Me" was the band's first EP, and was released in 2017 through the label Outlander Productions.

The main track on this EP is the title track, and here we have the band creating a stomping metal track in the tradition of the classic metal bands from the 1980's. They expand the boundaries a little by adding violin textures to the instrument side, and on the vocal side by having both clean and growl style vocals. It is a well made song, and probably quite the stomper live, but in this version it does suffer from an unbalanced mix and production as well as some of the vocal parts becoming too chaotic with two vocals mixed to both being dominant while not being in harmony.

The cover songs are marginally more interesting, but none of them really manage to come close to the originals here in terms of impact. 'Don't Talk to Strangers' lacks a bit of power and control in the vocals department and the required level of nuanced sophistication in general, and much the same is the case with 'If I Close My Eyes Forever'. With the latter of these suffering the most from this, as this is a song that demands a high level of sophistication and nuance to be able to make a substantial impact.

Scarlet Aura as they come across on this early EP is a band that at this stage were in need of a bit of development. The songwriting appears to be a strength, as the title track is a creation with many fine moments, but the mix and production did let the band down here in my opinion. The two cover versions showcase a band with a development potential when doing cover songs that are a bit on the demanding side of matters when more subtle nuances as well as power is required. My verdict, many years after it's release, is that this is an EP that will have more of a limited reach, and mainly a production for dedicated fans and collectors to seek out.

Olav M. Björnsen, February 2023

Links:
https://www.scarletaura.com/
https://www.facebook.com/outlanders.productions/

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