Edinburgh’s Tiberius released their debut EP in 2015 and have just released The Beautiful Ones to follow it up – four tracks of melodic metal with a partly off-kilter, prog-ish feel.
The EP opens with a sharp stab of frenetic guitars which, I admit, had me thinking “uh-oh” as it’s not the kind of thing I find easy to listen to. However, it quickly became apparent that this style of play was only one tool in a very well-stocked toolbox into which Tiberius can delve.
Whilst there are frequent periods of odd time signatures through the EP, the overall feel is one of an atmospheric collection which drags you in emotionally whilst simultaneously bludgeoning your forebrain. This is music you can both headbang and weep to. Said opener “Without Hesitation” can be listened to below along with the rest of the EP.
I found that as the EP progressed, the tracks got better. “Cult of Adonis” has some far heavier sections, reminding me in places of Alter Bridge on their more pissed off days. “Sderot Cinema” continues on from where that song leaves off with a continuous heavy drumbeat keeping the tempo high.
It’s the superb title track that really steals the show, though. At just under six minutes, it has plenty of time to decide what it wants to be, and what it is a builder-upper. A great intro, a chugging chorus and verse structure and then, for the final third, the kind of song that makes your soul ache. The added layer of background vocals and keyboards (or perhaps effects-laden guitars, with a trumpet-like tone) build and build towards an explosive ending, not just to the song but to the whole EP.
Worth noting is that this is the band’s final EP… because they’re now working on an album that they hope to release in 2018. We’ll be looking forward to that, that’s for sure.
The Beautiful Ones is available now.
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