Artist: Bella Terra
Album: Kingdoms EP
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Unsigned

I remember the first band I ever played in, I don’t know if I could ever replicate how much fun I had with that band, and naturally, I thought we were the coolest band around. Obviously we weren’t, it was some cheesy rock n roll band, obsessed with Guns N Roses covers and the like, so needless to say, it really wasn’t that cool at all. The most important part was the I enjoyed the hell out of it, but the music really wasn’t that impressive. At least not as impressive as I was convinced it was at the time. But that really wasn’t the point of it all, it was more about the experience in itself, and in that light, I couldn’t have hoped for a better time, joining that band was the exact point in time where I knew that I was a lifer, there was nothing I could do from that point on to get that feeling out of my system. And I love coming across bands that have this same sort of vibe, they’re not quite polished, the recording quality is never really top notch, but the spirit is through the roof. I get this exact vibe while listening to the Kingdoms EP from Bella Terra, not to say they’re at the same sort of level as my old high school band, but bands like this have this sort of fire that can be heard through every song, and I can’t help but have huge amounts of respect for this sort of dedication.

Bella Terra fits that exact description perfectly, both the good and bad traits; even though the traits that are considered bad still have a certain amount of charm to them. The recording quality isn’t at the professional level, the overall technique and presentation throughout the Kingdoms EP doesn’t feel entirely developed yet, but still, it has some undeniable charm throughout the album. There is definitely an overwhelming feeling that this album is an amateur effort from Bella Terra, obviously I can’t place all the blame on the band, these days with producers, and the advanced nature of recording technology, a professional band has a lot more opportunities to polish an album, with extensive pre-production and such, and these are clearly opportunities that weren’t available to Bella Terra. But of course, this leaves this listener with the most pure recording of the band’s vision, and that is quite a rare find. The unpolished nature of the Kingdoms EP is both it’s most endearing trait, and it’s downfall, I can’t help but thing songs like “A Monster In Daylight” or “Downtown Undergound”, which are decent songs in their own right, could have been much cleaner in their final form with a bit more pre-production, but I can appreciate the raw passion put into each of these songs.

There is definitely a certain level of quality expected from the top players in the scene, and rightfully so, they have the experience, and the availability of outlets that can provide that level of professionalism. The up and coming bands out there don’t always have these luxuries, some do, but not all of them. And another quality that not every band has, that is really much more important that recording quality, is that fire to create something they can be proud of, and I hear that throughout the Kingdoms EP. That said, while passion is admirable, it can’t be the only factor that makes up a good album, and in that sense, Bella Terra has a ways to go. They’re off to a good start, but I can’t quite say they’re there yet.

SCORE: 6/10
Reviewed by: Mike Hogan

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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