### Scar For Life: Scar for life

#### 21/10/09 || HailandKill

Sucky cover, egg-suh-lent album. If you consider yourself ‘open minded’ and able to handle copious amounts of melody, then this Portuguese sextet are certainly worth checking out. Despite the generic ‘core’ singing and copycat Phil Anselmo growls (it’s like they’re doing a bad imitation of Scar Symmetry), the material here fares pretty good in HailandKill’s ears. And dig this: “Scar for Life” the album is a 100% indie release with zero distribution. Quite incredible on three fronts: First, it’s a relief to hear this much talent after being swamped with half assed ‘underground’ demos on a regular basis. Second: Considering how good these guys are at songwriting, it speaks volumes of the music industry Portugal has when it can’t support a band with this much potential. Third and last: without any means to deliver their product save the Internet, these macho men are on the knife’s edge. Welcome to the travesty known as the music business.

Opening with the hum and bleeps of a computer program, first song “Kill The Past” gets yer balls swinging until the far more excellent “The Bleeding Gun” and the album’s first ‘chill out’ tune “My Last Words” give sexual pleasure. Belonging to the more accessible side of progressive, the arrangements get complex and unpredictable for the next few tracks then “Distant Shore” comes along to get you thinking about sunny beaches and heartbreak. Once it’s done, everything comes crashing down for the epic “Innocence Is Bliss” and the heavy jizz squirts into your face with the band’s own self named anthem “A Scar for Life.”

With its disgusting moments of radio rock, oft occurring emotive singing (the Rez guy behind the mic is quite the pansy), plus glimmers of broader influences that range from death metal to industrial, “Scar For Life” is a mixed bag of treats. Yer grandma with a heart of gold and huge tits. Exactly what HailandKill needs with his rectal problems continuing to bedevil him. Though we here at GD usually rip (okay, not usually—99% of the time) people a new one, Scar for Life can get away with passing marks. This ain’t The Project Hate MCM-something-something (roman numerals are HAAARD!) or everyone’s favorite Nightwish, but for its songwriting panache, ace musicianship, and infectious energy, Scar for Life are that rare indie band deserving your respect.

Now look at the cover. Yuck.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: self released
- Website: www.scarforlife.com
- Band
- Rez: vocals
- Alex S: guitar, bass, keys
- Daniel: drums
- Dinho: screams

- Tracklist
- 01. Kill the past
- 02. The bleeding gun
- 03. My last words
- 04. Insomnia
- 05. Crawling
- 06. One by one
- 07. Distant shore
- 08. Innocence is bliss
- 09. A scar for life