One of the most unique technical guitarworks out there has to be from Berried Alive. Charles melodic design and pure technical prowess is unbelievable, almost inhuman. Yet, he pumps out bangers as if they were as easy as pressing a button labelled "Make Good Music". Their latest record has some of their best work, a testament to how they keep getting even ridiculously better, and its a hard thing to have to choose just one to say is the best, but Strawberry Serenity is one that I can definitely settle with.
Without a doubt, the best parts of any Berried Alive song are the solos and the breakdowns, but I always adore how fruitful the melodic and rhythmic riffs are too. Rocking an eight-string and fully utilising the range it provides, there's a tasty amount of chunkage to contrast the surrealistic melodies and ambient synths.
All the cheeky little licks and quick sweeps he sneaks into main riffs and lyrical sections are quickly becoming iconic to them, but what's definitely already iconic is Charles' distinctive usage of his killswitch and whammy bar. I'm not sure if I've ever seen or heard him use a slide or bend in his guitarwork, but he knows what to do when it comes to accurately shaping his intricate soundscapes, whether ruthlessly jagged and chaotic or alluringly dark and haunting.
Although it seems a bit shallow to idolise the solo and breakdown (because there's a lot more to any metal song than just the solos and breakdowns), I really have to commend the ones in this song. The solo is eccentrically blissful and really embodies the second half of the track title, and scratches just about every itch in my ear. The way he textures the notes with clever use of the whammy and the way he cleanly transitions from riffage to shredding and back to ambience, it's just excellent musicianship.
The breakdown is by far the most shocking to me. Keep in mind, this was my first introduction to Berried Alive (courtesy of Nik Nocturnal), and I listened to EDM and dubstep a lot when I was younger. The first time I heard this breakdown, it was alongside the music video and the guitarwork wasn't shown, and I had the hardest time believing that this wasn't a EDM drop of some kind. It goes to show the amount of mastery Charles has over his guitar, that the precision, speed and melodic capabilities remind me of the kind a machine has. Having seen the guitarwork now, it's believable now but still a jawdroppingly impressive flex.
As someone who appreciates a technical challenge, especially fusing it with typically non-technical areas of life, Berried Alive's music is truly perfect where it stands, existing between the realms of multiple genres, lending from multiple guitar styles and reinventing countless techniques and generally cranking the craziness up to eleven. Their music transcends headbanging, you'll just have to lose your mind.
Rating: 3.5/5