Band: CONVICTIVE
Country: Germany
Title: Schemen
Label: STF Records
Year: 2018
Style: Black Metal

Review:
Although the band formed in 2012 recently announced their split with Jalina, the female vocalist who appears on this debut album, and a member of the band for the past 4 years, Convictive seems to be determined to move further and reinvent itself as a group while preparing to announce the new vocalist; I'm curious if we'll deal with another female vocal or a male one as they had during the first 2 years of activity. Anyway, the thing is Jalina did a fantastic job on this debut album, their vocals are absolutely ravaging, her force and visceral approach are spot on bringing the band a step further than they would have been with another vocal, at least that's the impression I get after spining this CD for a few times. The instrumental work on this album is also very good, traditional Black Metal mostly fast paced, based on pounding and unrelenting drums and a subtle bass that rises upfront at times too, but the guitar work is the real flesh of this organism they created here, combining epic, melodic leads with easy flowing riffs that give personality to each track. I'd say this is a combination of traditional second wave Black Metal with Epic / Melodic Black Metal all with very sharp edges brought by Jalina's abrasive vocals, especially since the lyrics are in German and we all know how sharp this language sounds on Black Metal. A very good debut album, way better than what one would expect from a band with such a non-Black Metal sounding name, hope their new vocalist will rise to the challenge as it's a serious one.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10

Contact:
convictive.altervista.org
stf-records.de