You can hear the Wind Before The Storm by Samuel Yuri, and the message it conveys is so strong, you are already hooked before the first note of the song comes. Brazilian composer has created something that does not fit into easy classification, alternating between the gritty nature of grunge, the darkness of gothic rock and the grit that underpins the classic rock, a sense of organicness is indisputable that both seems ancient and present at the same time.
The difference that this song has is that Yuri realizes restraint. The instrumentation is also very sparse, letting the melancholic tones of the song breathe and ring without any kind of embellishment. His singing is rough and fierce, with emotional sincerity not being applied with any refined skill. It is the voice of a person who is not afraid of letting the ugliness to be louder than the perfection.
One should take the instrumental composition seriously. Heavy riffs infuse both Metallica to Type O Negative, and this formed visceral base anchoring the emotional content of the track. The drumming performance is especially striking, as it is dynamic, accurate, and strong enough to raise the whole composing, but not to confuse it. Every percussion instrument is used to the dramatic flow of the song, the intensity and the restraint are balanced in a truly expert manner.
The Sao Paulo roots of Yuri are transmitted into the music to give a strange mix of sun-frozen energy and gothic gloom. This unity of light and shadow combined with strong imagery delving into primal forces of nature makes Wind Before The Storm have its unique quality. To those listeners attracted to Bauhaus, to Alice in Chains or Danzig, this song represents a home they have known but in a distinctly Brazilian perspective.
Recording at Lumen Studios and mix by Martin Guderle, Wind Before The Storm by an artist whose many influences which include Arab rock, instrumental classical music among others are felt and not imposed on his sound. Yuri has done something truly strong here: music that pays tribute to tradition without betraying itself in any way, but blazing its own trail of defiance.
