The Halting, the first track of the EP beings with a catchy power metal intro typical of their music. Soon afterwards deep bass toned guitar riffs are launched and I already find myself nodding along. The guitar riffs are interesting without overcomplicating things. The vocals, which are on the correct side of growling in my opinion work well with the guitar here. About 1:30 in the song slows down before being built up by the original riff and a thudding bass drum. It reaches a peak and then the full power of the main part is brought back in expertly. The moment it reverts back to the original piece is sublime; the pause followed by a moment of sheer power. About three minutes in two more trebly guitar parts are introduced which produce a nice melody. Towards the end the bass drum appears in short bursts which assault the listener, adding to the effectiveness of the song.
The second song begins with a lovely riff that finds the right balance between the power needed for this genre and the creativity needed for it to be in any way interesting. About 1:20 the song slows down and we're introduced to a slow, throbbing, riff. The song relaunches soon after with another good riff. This part of the song definitely reminds me of another band but I can't quite pinpoint who. It doesn't matter too much here as it's still definitely their style that is most prominent. The solo on this track is good; it's got something Maidenesque about it, not in tone, but in moments of the melody itself. A very solid song, not necessarily the most memorable, but it shows the band's talent clearly.
The final piece, Maiden, begins with a strong, riff cantered, introduction. It's by far the best intro of the album, and like the others it's very catchy. About 30 seconds in a double picked riff is introduced that attacks the listener like a machine gun such is its power and ferocity. This song seems to be much more driven by the riffwork than the others do; the vocals and the drums play a part of course, but not to the same extent. A nice melody introduced just before the 2 minute mark, which while a little generic, is a nice addition. Simple but effective. 30 seconds later the song slows right down to give us a strong combination of guitar and drums. About 3:10 a pounding riff comes in which melds nicely with the vocals. The riffs later are a little disappointing though I have to say, there's nothing musically wrong with them, it's just that they are very reminiscent of something I've heard before. I'm not entirely sure where from, but I've heard a similar riff. Although it's obviously a mistake I can't help scouring my mind when I listen to it to remember what it reminds me of which does detract from the song. Overall however it's the best song on the EP, it's catchy, powerful, and doesn't let go of your ears.
Seeing them at Sonisphere was like a breath of fresh air, they weren't the best band there but you could tell that they wanted to be there as much as any of the others and more than most. Having just left a band I didn't like they turned my mood around.
For a debut EP this is great stuff. The power is generally well balanced with creativity, and every song is catchy in its own right. I'd give the piece a 7.5/10; it's a really great start. In future I'd like to see a little more melody as I thought in places it could have done just a little bit more. Watch out for this band, I know I will.
No comments:
Post a Comment