In the past few years, it seems like a lot of bands are scratching that itch to get together again after a long hiatus or supposed break-up. One such band that has been away from the radar for a spell is Neaera, a German melodic death metal act that hasn’t seen a tour in 5 years and hasn’t released an album in 7. Singer Benny Hilleke mentions: “It was good to draw a line at that time. We needed that and we followed the good old party wisdom: You should go when it’s at its best. But in that case we turned around again – the DJ was just too good and the buffet wasn’t completely empty yet.”

Spending their entire career with Metal Blade Records, the band is gearing up for their new self-titled album set to release on February 28th. Neaera has been at it since their founding in 2003, having six previous albums under their belt to grow their cult following. The German metal scene is prolific, with Rammstein being the first name to come to mind, and bands like Scorpions, Savage Circle, and War From a Harlots Mouth entering my rotation regularly. Neaera is new to me, and I’m going in blind for their self-titled release.

Neaera begins as most albums should, with a proper fade-in intro with a smooth entrance in “(Un)drowned”. Lulling the listener into the album is a nice departure from albums that jump headfirst into the music, as there is ample time to set the stage. “Catalyst” opens strong, displaying a strong mix of death metal and metalcore in the early goings, setting a blistering pace that begs the listener to keep up with it. “False Shepherds” is a bit more melodic, and has vocalist Benny switching from punchy highs to drastic lows. The 2:34 breakdown is mixed superbly, showing that the band has drawn influence from newer acts as well.

A nostalgic riff opens “Resurrection of Wrath”, featuring grim growls near the two-minute mark, further exemplifying Benny’s range that complements the brutal instrumentation. “Carriers” is the heaviest track yet; the pace only ever lets up to set up another intense section, with the highlight being the 3:24 breakdown. “Rid the Earth of the Human Virus” is a bold song title, but nothing about the song sticks out to me any more than previous tracks.

“Sunset of Mankind” features a nice slowdown and the first implementation of blast beats on Neaera, sounding like an Unearth song at times. Some quality guitar taps are present in “Lifeless” during its bridge, a break from another track that has a frenetic speed to it. Another entertaining song title is “Eruption in Reverse”, which contains an equally-entertaining breakdown to boot. Speaking of breakdowns, the leading single, “Torchbearer”, has a nasty one, as well. Neaera closes out with “Deathless”, treading familiar ground.

I like Neaera’s sound, but I can’t help but feel that there’s something missing in the mix with Neaera. The band would benefit by stepping out of their comfort zone and adding something unconventional to make them stand out. Perhaps some keyboards here, a more experimental song structure there, and Neaera would have a more memorable return. There are plenty of special moments across most songs of Neaera, but getting to those points can be a chore after hearing the same double bass-ridden, chugging riff verse/chorus in each song. Nevertheless, it’s great to see Neaera revive their passion to play, and I wouldn’t be past enjoying their live show if it looks anything like the performance above.

A review copy of Neaera was provided by Metal Blade Records for this review.