REGARDLESS OF ME – The World Within

The newfound Regardless Of Me are the answer for all of you Metalheads who are disappointed in bands like Evanescence or Lacuna Coil. Though you really can’t categorize this band as a Nu-Metal act, or say a modern MTV Metal act, they have that touch of darkness and sometimes doomy feel just like the other two bands mentioned. The reason that Regardless Of Me is way better is because The World Within is not abiding by the new trends that modernized Metal bands on MTV live on.

Regardless Of Me started as a brainstorm by the guitarist and composer, Emiliano Sicilia (among his works lies his solo release from 2006 named Devotion, Materialize). 2 years after the idea turned into shape, the foursome band released its debut, The World Within — the production work and composition were made by Sicilia. The final product is a Darkened Heavy Metal layout loaded with atmosphere and classical Gothic Metal elements… also there are some electronic elements, but they won’t turn you off, they are there just for coloring. You can be sure that this is no MTV material, it’s way too complex for this kind of act, and interesting while being catchy and an easy listen. All you have to do now is to settle down, play the CD and enjoy yourself.

Musically, Sicilia did an excellent job by making a mysterious and dark kind of Heavy Metal. In addition, the whole album channels all sorts of emotions like desperation, chilling cold, slumber, and other various dark emotions. You can make comparisons between this release and Paradise Lost’s last two efforts and you will find almost the same pattern, but without one thing that turns the tide towards Regardless Of Me, and that is their wonderful lead singer, Pamela Manzo. Her voice is cold just like Holmes’, yet she is a lot more melodic and emotive than he. With her ability, she is able to calm you down without making you sleep through the whole album, and she’ll make you fall in love with the beauty of her voice. With this angel’s soft voice runs through the flowing music of low-tuned guitars that helps in spreading mystery, solos that will keep you attached with the artistic senses of Sicilia brainstorm writings, and atmospheric keyboards and electronic programming to finalize the face of this cold set. The bass and drum works are ordinary. The focus is on the vocals and guitars — the bass and drums are there for the rhythm and force.

As for the band’s themes, Sicilia shares his focus about elements that show their tight grip on human beings and are based on trust. Man trusts politics, religion, and jobs. All these elements try to possess the human being and take away his freedom of speech and personal liberties. You will have to bind yourself to the lyrics to try and understand the criticism that follows Regardless Of Me all through The World Within, because there is a world within each of us and everyone interprets life’s definitions differently.

The music and lyrical themes created some major highlights from this release: “City Of Glass,” a suitable beginner that reveals the new mystery in your face, with powerful rhythm and great drumming, is one of the heaviest of the album. “No One Cares” starts like a modern Pop song, but shows its true colors after the first verse through the chorus, which is awesome. The atmospheric keys make you feel like you are standing in the snow. “Regardless” is a future classic, Pamela is just a singer to die for — she is spreading the words with her velvet voice that turn upwards from time to time; an absolute flower. “Wounded” is kind of a pound to the face; much heavier than the previous two hits and provides awesome rhythm full of complex, small tunes. “For Eternity” reminds of Paradise Lost’s era after Draconian Times; you can say the beginning of their last fall until they rose back to power in 2001. The song is icy cold and the chorus tells the same story. The only thing that warms things up is the solo. “The Morning Light” is one of the greatest ballads ever to be heard; Pamela’s greatest work on the album. This song is the classic of this release — the production surrounding the vocals is ordinary for this type of music, but still it’s surreal in a positive way.

After one or two listens to this magnificent album you will see that Regardless Of Me is a project that should live on for years. The first thing that Sicilia should do, however, is to keep Pamela around, because she is one of the reasons this album is a breath of cool, fresh air.