The great Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Wherever
you go, go with all your heart.” The idea behind his message is simple: put all
of your energy into something –your passion, your skill, and your will – and the
product of such efforts will take on success in the direction that you make it
take. Embodying this philosophy is none
other than Ohio’s Enthrall the Weak. Their latest single, “Heavy Hearts”, takes
on a consistently heavy directionality with an aggressively passionate and
energetic approach.
Viscous riffs and licks and equally enraged drum fills kick
off this track before exploding into an aggressive frenzy of brutal, emotive
instrumental and vocal tonality. Grooving,
fast, irate riffs from guitarists Amato and Gray pulsate, swell, and burst with
the sudden and fatal intensity of an aneurysm. Drummer Jimmy Amato’s aptly
crafted drum fills, cymbal play, and excellent, borderline-insane footwork in
his delivery of relentless percussion adds a perfect layer of instrumental
passion and tonality. Vocalist David Darlak utilizes a brilliant combination of
shouted lyrics and gritty, singeing mid and high screams to deliver a vocal
performance that burns with a raw, sizzling intensity of a chemical burn. Multiple
interludes abound in the form of savage riffage and short, blistering
breakdowns. What truly makes this track special- aside from the ferocious,
fast-paced, looming breakdown led by a grooving bass drop from bassist Trace
Miller- is the equal parts of collaborative musicianship executed by all
members to form an overall perfectly-crafted tonality of persistent and precise
brutality.
Enthrall the Weak has crafted an excellent example of the
powerful blend of pristine skill, unwavering energy, and passionate, heartfelt
musicianship. No singular musical element overpowers the rest as each musician’s
skill is masterly interwoven within one another’s to form a perfect harmony of persistent heaviness. Enthrall the
Weak has created more than a track- they’ve managed to take a poetic feeling of
emotional weight and combine it with drive and stellar instrumentation to
give such a melancholic phenomenon an audible dimension of depth. “Heavy Hearts”
is a powerful, refreshing, and passionate track that best exemplifies what it
means to go somewhere with all of your heart.
10/10
For Fans Of: Know Lyfe, When Skies Go Black, At No End
All human minds require constant sensory stimulation and
continual testing of reflexes. It’s part of how we learn- we compile data from
all of these previous experiences and –from said data- make predictions and
decisions within a matter of seconds. In turn, we develop routine, an
understanding of order, and the ability to understand, question and improve our
societal structures. But our minds function much like an economy- we require
our own sort of mental stimulus package. As much as we are creatures of habit,
we still need a variation of (or a deviation in) stimuli to keep ourselves
active, alert, and sharp. Without any new stimulation, we grow bored,
lethargic, and complacent with our dependencies on structured routines. We
begin to operate like machines- working the same cycle repetitively until exhaustion
overtakes us. We forget or lose our wit, our ability to feel, and our ability
to think and make informed decisions as independent entities. Thankfully, My
Ransomed Soul is emerging as the refreshing new stimulus our ears so
desperately need. Their third release, Trilateral,
is sure to elicit a new-found wave of response with every crashing breakdown,
groovy riff, and passionate, politically-charged verse.
Opening the album is “Rise”, a brief, menacing intro built
upon pulsating layers of swiftly rising industrial effects that instantly bleed
into the next brooding track, “Mockingbird.” Commanding riffs, raw mid screams,
and pulsating percussion immediately hit your ears with the crashing force of falling
trees. Guitarists Frey and Fernandez intelligently mash together a driving
display of heavy chugging with spastic bursts of slightly-discordant arias and
melodic overlays. Backing this frontal
assault is drummer Fredy Menjivar’s relentless percussion, which showcases his
footwork and excellent cymbal play that is masterfully intertwined with the
intensity of the rest of the instrumentation. Vocalist Brendon Frey wields a
powerful display of angry, raw mid screams and dynamic split-scream harmonies. Jarring
breakdowns rudely burst through the heavy riffage, with every chug perfectly
orchestrated to rile you up and set your blood boiling. It’s more than a moment
of stellar instrumentation- it’s a much needed wake-up call. What’s more, My Ransomed Soul utilizes a
sampled recording of a George H. W. Bush quote – and it actually fits the charged instrumentation and
lyrical content perfectly.
It’s near impossible to name a singular stand-out track on
this album, as each one stands on its own as its own commentary. However, the explosive
track “Monarch” is absolutely deserving of an honorable mention. An angry,
accusatory lick immediately explodes into forceful, bitter grooving riffs
matched by equally spiteful raw screams from Frey and an unrelenting tirade of
percussion from Menjivar. My Ransomed Soul truly flexes their collective
technical prowess and precision in every grinding, sliding breakdown, each
seething with waves of vindictiveness and discontent that transcends through
your ears to your mind and your soul. The overall bitter tonality from every
jarring, anticipatory chug is both enraging and eye-opening as your ears are
mercilessly slammed with an instrumental and musical intensity that is
guaranteed to knock your teeth out of your skull.
Another honorable mention is “Trilateral”, a short, yet
reflective track. A melodic, simple, plucked melody rings out overtop a sampled
interview between former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Charlie Rose over
the topic of the fragile state of Syria.
Undertones of powerful, introspective guitar and bass riffs simmer below
the sampled recording, before lashing out into a gentle, melodic medley of
layered guitars and mild percussive elements. Some may not find this
interesting, but it is goddamn special. My Ransomed Soul has done something
that most other bands are incapable of doing or have failed to achieve: producing a track that is equally as heavy as a
breakdown, sans breakdowns and sans ferocious riffs. My Ransomed Soul has
provided us proof that commentary, or more simply put words formed into sentences are as powerful as aggressive riffs. This track not only provides our ears with an
emotive commentary which we are to analyze- it also perfectly blends with the rest of the theme/flow of the album. It’s
a stimulus. It’ll make you listen. It’ll
make you think.
The album closes with “Revive”, a deeply emotive, reflective
track bound by an impassioned, melodic tonality. Fast-paced, pitch-bent riffs
and licks groove alongside desperate emotionally drenched melodic riffs and overlays
and crashing percussion, crafting a conflicting, yet vibrant intensity. Frey
unleashes a more serious, despairing, heartfelt force in his raw vocal delivery
with each passionate verse. Groovy riffage is layered into tumultuous melodic,
gentle overlays and undertones which mirror Frey’s vocal delivery and craft an
overall emotionally-drenched, passionate, and invigorating tonality that will
pull at your heartstrings.
Overall, My Ransomed Soul has created one of the most
engaging albums of this year. Trilateral
is the most politically charged album I have heard since Green Day’s 2004
release, American Idiot. The amount
of musicianship and technical and creative prowess that My Ransomed Soul has
utilized to shape their views into an entire album with a near-seamless flow
and unrelenting amount energy is absolutely astounding. Trilateral
is a conversation piece, a commentary, and a wake-up call. It’s the stimulation
our ears, our minds, and our generation desperately needs. Your choice is how you wish to respond to its
call.
9.5/10
For Fans Of: Like Moths to Flames, Prime Meridian, For Today
We are told from a young age that we can “move mountains”
because “the sky’s the limit”, but rarely do we ever achieve such heights.
Instead, such motivational idioms become short-lived dreams as we shroud
ourselves in limitations. We draw lines in the sand, borders around countries,
and erect figurative and literal walls around ourselves. Over time, we dismiss
the driving urge to fit outside the box as childish, and we become eager to fit
into the imprisoning walls of some form of normality. Some of us will toe the
line; some will gaze wistfully at it; some will settle for less. However bleak
this may sound, there still exists a small few who never cease in striving to
step over the line, and Prophasis has joined their ranks. Their debut release, Boundaries, takes leaps and bounds, pushing
through previously set limits and setting a new standard that others will be
hard-pressed to match.
Kicking off this album is “Presage”, a blistering track
packed with relentless breakdowns that will shake the earth beneath your feet.
An eerie, distorted, industrial intro will have you shaking with anticipation
through a steady escalation of tumultuous layered effects, suspenseful sliding
strings, and pulsating percussive elements. This fast-encroaching intro finally
caves in to an immediate assault of heavy riffs, a haunting melodic overlay,
driving percussion, and low growls. A brilliant display of footwork from
drummer Brad Wickham perfectly matches fast-paced riffs, spastic melodic solos,
and discordant overlays from guitarist Cody Landers. A bone-crunching breakdown
wreaks havoc on your ears with a combination of percussive bells and an undertone
of heavy, assertive riffs. Following this path of destruction is an extremely
brief, ethereal interlude led by gentle reverbed strumming and a vocal harmony
of cleans and mid screams from vocalist Alan Ervin that gradually delves back
into a slamming “thrash-and-burn” delivery of melodic, lightning-fast solos and
crushing riffs and breakdowns.
The torrent of heavy instrumentation displayed in “Presage”
flows seamlessly into the next
pulverizing track, “Allegiance,” in which an unwavering display of ferocious
breakdowns will hit you with enough force to shatter your ribcage. Landers’ grooving,
pitch bent heavy riffs are intermittently met with bursts of short melodic and
discordant arias before delving into fierce melodic solos that are matched by relentless riffage and reciprocated by
percussive bells. Drummer Brad Wickham displays an enormous amount of
instrumental prowess with brilliant cymbal play and precisely crafted hits and
kicks. Ervin delivers a brilliant display of brutal low, mid and high screams
and utilizes split-scream harmonies for an overall crushing vocal delivery. A
rage-inducing, sliding breakdown will savagely tear at your eardrums with a
disgusting amount of force that can easily
rival a volcanic eruption. You are guaranteed to see red in this unabating
display of absolutely ruthless instrumentation.
While every single track on this album stands out in terms
of instrumentation, individuality, and continuity, an honorable mention is at
least fair for the explosive track that is “Exodus Of Rationality.”
Slightly-gentler melodic riffs suddenly turn to violent bursts of chugging and
ear-shattering breakdowns. Wickham displays the most intense footwork in this track,
delivering a seemingly unending crushing intensity with every hit, kick and
crash. Landers has this immaculate talent of weaving together fast-paced,
insanely fierce riffs with gentle, slower, haunting melodic arias – and the
meshing of instrumental styles is well-matched and successfully layered by the
rest of the band members. The effect of this meshing lulls you into false
senses of security and then quickly reintroduces your face to the concrete-like
instrumentation of relentless, murderous breakdowns. Bassist Ryan Katka
introduces groovy, crushing bass riffs in this track and audibly leads an
impressive wave of assaulting, border-line sadistic breakdowns.
Another honorable mention is “Propaganda”, a track that is
seething with forthright anger in every verse and riff. Persistently vicious
riffage backed by intense percussive elements will bear down on you with the
collective force and weight of an avalanche. Surprising bursts of melodic arias
flourish and explode in the midst of tirades of pulverizing breakdowns from
Landers. Ervin spares no technical expense, displaying his vocal prowess in absolutely
stunning clean vocals and a ferocious onslaught of growls, mids, highs, and
split scream harmonies.
This explosive album ends with “Obsidian”, a brooding track
that is laden with writhing riffs and roaring breakdowns. Rushes of thundering,
sliding riffs collide with ever-present undertones of rolling ambiance and
simple, haunting notes overtop the deafening riffage and percussion.
Intermittent, fast melodic arias and licks break the surface before churning
back into waves of lacerating riffs. Harsh screams from Ervin and guest
vocalist Jake Wolf of Reflections build layers of ravaging intensity within the
already pulverizing instrumentation. Steadily growing undertones of layered
ambiance and effects gradually overtake the heavy riffage for a brief moment
and slowly fade out into a false-ending. Note the false-ending, which actually leads into one final rage-inducing,
tibia-shattering, curb-stomping, merciless assault of breakdowns, which
Prophasis cruelly allows to quickly fade-out to ensure and instill a Stockholm
Syndrome-esque burning desire for more. You will beg. You will plead. You will
cry and for one more, just one more minute of brutal instrumentation and
slaying vocal delivery. Alas, your cries will not be heard, as the music swiftly
fades away. You will be left dazed, aching, and shaking in the resulting
silence at the end of this album.
Overall, Prophasis has crafted a spectacular, everlasting
album that redefines what it means to be boundless. Where most bands merely toe
the line, Prophasis has leapt far over it, pushing through every barrier and
tearing through every limit to raise the standards to a new high. The fluidity
at which this album progresses is astounding – each track masterfully flows
into one another, yet still maintains their own aggressive individuality. Not a
single note, kick, hit, crash, or scream is wasted throughout the duration of
Prophasis’ onslaught of persistently heavy delivery. The absolutely stellar
instrumentation and pristine continuity of relentless, thunderous breakdowns
bears enough energy and force to shake down the highest mountains. Prophasis’ Boundaries is a truly limitless,
flawless masterpiece.
10/10
For Fans Of: Thy Art is Murder, After the Burial, Chelsea
Grin
National Geographic once estimated that over 100,000
wildfires ravage the U.S. annually, burning approximately 4 to 5 million acres
of land. Moving at an average speed of 14 mph, these fires quickly overtake and
consume everything in their wake. In an effort to combat this destructive
phenomenon, official forces are trained to manage, control, and extinguish
these large blazes while reaching environmental precautions and safety
procedures to common folk. However, no amount of safety precautions and
specialized training can prepare you for the fiery inferno that is Skeyes.
Their debut release, Empty Mirrors EP,
harnesses the raging power of nature’s most beautifully rugged force in a
torrent of sustained melodies and ferocious breakdowns.
Kicking off this fiery album is “Ethereal”, a track that is
marked by an exquisite display of melodic ambiance and emotionally heavy
riffs. A quick drum fill gives way to
explosive riffs and a flare of melodic overlays that, in turn, ignite a relentless
delivery of heavy breakdowns from guitarists Cease and Macaluso. Vocalists Dale Brosious and Jesse Cease
masterfully intertwine raw clean vocals with vicious low growls to add a layer
of intensity that burns more violently than a brush fire. The seemingly endless
hail of scorching riffage suddenly halts for an ambient interlude in which
gentle rising effects churn and billow behind lightly sustained piano notes,
clean chords, and gritty clean vocals from guest vocalist Garret Rapp. The mixture
of grit and melodic ambiance creates layered waves of raging intensity that billows and
folds like smoke over trees, suspending your ears between the beauty and violent
rage of a spiraling forest fire before delving into a final crushing assault of
roaring breakdowns.
Next is “Myriad”, an explosive track that is laden with
spastic solos and incessantly heavy riffage.
Skeyes wastes no time, immediately slamming your ears with fiery walls
of lightning-fast melodic arias over choppy, heavy riffs backed by driving
percussion. Spastic energetic solos
explode and crackle like pine trees ablaze overtop searing breakdowns and heavy
chugging. Raw cleans are met with a clashing force of split scream harmonies
and ferocious growls from Brosious and Cease. Guitarists Cease and Macaluso
juxtapose waves of pulverizing breakdowns and rugged, chaotic riffs against
complementary haunting melodic overlays to create a chilling effect that will
have your skin breaking into goose bumps as your aural forest is burned to the
ground.
This brief but vibrant album ends with “Ars Amatoria”, a
track that is packed with bursts of melodic riffs in one last reflective rage
against the dying light. Gently strummed
notes from Macaluso and Cease meet sweeping layers of light melodic arias
before delving into pounding percussive elements and smoldering riffs that burn
with a final bright emotional intensity of a dying flame. Clean, soothing
vocals follow parallel to the instrumentals, soon becoming gritty and then
gradually descending into one final display of emotionally charged low
screams. The resulting musical finale will
leave you breathless, emotionally drained, and begging for more.
Though each track carries its own in terms of intensity and
consistent delivery, “Ethereal” and “Myriad” stand-out the most in this album.
Both tracks are so deeply drenched in emotion and energy in each verse, chug,
and sustained note that they burn with the fueled intensity and drive of a
kerosene-induced fire.
Overall, Skeyes has crafted one of the most explosive and emotionally
charged albums of this year. The vast amount of musicianship and energy that is
poured into each meticulously crafted riff and verse burns so vibrantly and audibly
that the resulting flames almost take on a tangible form. You will lose yourself in the charring beauty that lies within Skeyes' burning rage. Empty Mirrors is an unstoppable force that will consume you in
its raging blaze of fiery licks and energetic breakdowns. Evacuation is futile; there is nowhere to run. Nothing can save you from being consumed by the inferno
that is Skeyes’ Empty Mirrors.
Perception in relation to reality is a topic that has long
sparked many debates and theories, one of which being the theory of “Phenomenalism”.
For those unfamiliar with the topic, phenomenalism dictates that physical
objects only exist as a result of perceptual phenomena. In layman’s terms, if there
is no perception, there is no existence; your reality is built around your
perception. Meaning that, in theory,
there are as many perceptions of reality as there are humans (roughly 7 billion). Italian quartet Synodik graciously invites us into their perception of the reality in which we exist. Their sophomore
release, A Matter Of Perception EP,
provides us with a short commentary on an age-old topic through a combined
medium of deep ambience and brooding riffs that burn with the wisdom of an
aging star.
The album opens with “Projections From the Edge”, an eerie
track featuring tumultuous, rising synth medleys that most closely mimic the
sensation of zooming through a Carl Sagan video. Layers of cascading echoed
synth melodies progressively build, flourishing with bright intensity before
descending into darker, ambient depths, churning with a force parallel to the
cosmos.
Following is “When Parallels Fall”, an explosive track
marked by an amalgamation of heavy death metal elements and serene dark
ambience. Bursts of energetic melodic riffs from guitarist Leandro Scotto and
deep growls from vocalist Matteo Campanini immediately blast your ears with the
profound force of a supernova. Harsh, violent riffs backed by driving and
emphatic percussion by drummer Edoardo Delucchi suddenly halt for waves of
emotive, airy licks and overlays before delving into crushing riffs and solos. Campanini
waivers between gritty mid screams and deep growls, often utilizing split
scream harmonies for lyrical emphasis and an overall raw and sincere vocal
style of delivery. However, what really makes this track stand out is Scotto’s
split between fiercely violent riffs and simplistic, gentle synth undertones.
The result is a playful mixing and parallel placing of the perceived simplistic
beauty of the universe with the raging complexities of a galaxy.
This short but vast EP ends with “The Perceived Wisdom”, a
track laden with false endings and spastic transitions in instrumental style. Fast-paced heavy riffs collide and wrestle
with melodic, atmospheric overlays, creating an emotional turbulence between
the raw forces of the atmosphere and the peaceful serenity of the night sky. Within
the mixture of mashing forces is the lightly playful groove of Gastaldi’s bass,
which often shines through the competing layers of Scotto’s ambient licks and
crushing chugging. Campanini alternates between clean vocals and deep growls,
displaying the vast dynamic between perceived peacefulness and the true raw
force that exists within each burning star.
Overall, Synodik provides a surprisingly in-depth, albeit short take
on a topic that is as old as the universe itself.The dynamic, orchestrated collapse and
expansion of the instrumentals can be as vibrant and daunting as a White Dwarf star. A Matter Of Perception is drenched with
the introductory teachings of a vast, ancient knowledge that you can only begin
to gain from watching the world turn for centuries- and it appears that Synodik
is ready and eager to watch and learn more. A Matter Of Perception is a vastly reflective musical endeavor that gifts us aural windows from which to begin to explore the depths of our reality in relation to our existence. Ultimately,
your view on this album- and the message that you take from it- depends on your
perception of it.
French sailors have an old saying, “Rouge le soir, bel
espoir. Rouge le matin, de la pluie, en chemin.” For those who can’t read
French, it’s folklore for determining seafaring weather, which roughly
translates to “Red at night, great hope. Red in the morning, rain on the way.” Such
lore and tales are relics of tradition, created through prior years of
observation to serve as warnings or guidelines for future generations. While
tradition and folklore has kept certain dangers at bay, no warning device can prepare
or shield you from the oncoming violent storm that is Amber Sea. Their debut EP, Infantile Vision, embarks on
heavy waters, encompassing the gentlest of tides and the crushing force of a
tsunami.
The album opens with “White Materia: Sideral”, a track
marked by sudden crushing waves of heavy-hitting breakdowns and bursts of
melodic riffs. At first listen, you will be suspended in a soothing sense of weightlessness
by a layered, ethereal intro built on a sweeping piano medley and light guitar
overlays. But do not be so deceived; behind these gentle waves of melodic
instrumentation lies a raging storm. Calm melodies quickly turn violent as
driving percussion from drummer Guy Tormel leads to storming riffs by guitarist
Kevin Chasnais. Vocalist Matt Rouland’s low growls, hefty mid screams, and
well-executed cleans join the fray of heavy instrumentation, flooding your ears
with the rage and might of an ancient sea.
Next is “Deci(mate)”, a blistering track packed with the
perfect blend of spastic riffs and controlled breakdowns. Amber Sea wastes no
time, immediately hitting your ears with a lightning-fast solo from bassist
Axel Richet before delving into spastic heavy riffs and Rouland’s ferocious
growls backed by Tormel’s relentless percussion. The addition of vocalist Chris
Baretto of Monuments adds a perfect layer of split scream harmonies with
Rouland and an excellent pairing of clean vocals with heavy mid screams. Richet’s
unwavering display of instrumental prowess shines once again in a brilliantly
executed slap-bass solo before diving into waves of heavy breakdowns. What’s
most impressive in this track is the band’s ability to lose themselves in
spastic riffs and then regain control in a drastically slower-paced, yet
crushing breakdown. It’s a dichotomy that shows an excellent amount of
technical prowess and is a muscle that the band frequently flexes. What’s more,
Amber Sea allows your ears a brief, gentle interlude to let you hear andsee the beauty in the storm of heavy riffs before delving back into
the crunchy, gritty, chaotic guitars that make up this track.
“Shinigami” is an explosive track laden with savage riffs and
controlled pacing that creates an aural assault unlike the rest. It’s heavier.
It’s grittier. And it’s more chaotic than you could imagine. Choppy, fast-paced
riffs and melodic solos are backed by forceful percussion and heavy growls. What
makes this track interesting is their mashing of pacing: fast-paced chugging
crashes suddenly into slow, controlled sliding breakdowns led by Chasnais’
heavy guitar riffs and Richet’s sliding, groovy bass. Best yet, their delivery
of furious and relentless instrumentals is seamless.
The breakdowns in this track are met at a considerably slower pace that will
leave you shaking in anticipation for
the next wave of assault, the next chug, and the next sexy bass slide. The amount
of energy and discipline necessary to deliver such controlled chaos is remarkable and extraordinary.
“Black Materia: Meteor” ends this brief but fierce album,
packing a final wave of assault with ear-shattering breakdowns and spastic
melodic interludes. A chaotic aria quickly breaks into heavy, grooving riffs
and pulverizing breakdowns. Intermittent melodic solos –both unbelievably fast paced
and groovy- break the seemingly relentless aural onslaught of bone-crunching
breakdowns. Just for safe measure, Amber Sea hits you with one last
rage-filled, insanity-inducing breakdown before calmly returning to softer
medleys and then descending into the gentle melody that we were first
introduced to in “White Materia: SIderal”. This gradual descent into simplistic,
layered, melodic beauty results in a near-ghostly effect that is guaranteed to
leave you with chills running down your spine and the hairs on your neck standing
on end.
It’s impossible to pick out any stand-out tracks on this
album, as each track can stand on its own. What’s most notable is the mirroring
that can be heard between “White Materia” and “Black Materia”. The instrumentation
on both tracks is reciprocal and complimentary to each other, creating a
harmonious “yin-and-yang” effect.
Overall, Amber Sea’s Infantile
Vision is one of the most timeless and dynamic releases of this year. It’s
hard to believe that this is a debut release, given that Infantile Vision bears the collective weight and experience of a
thousand waves. Each member gives their all for an extraordinarily consistent,
brutal delivery both vocally and instrumentally. Every verse, solo,
breakdown, hit, and kick is perfectly crafted to induce an addictive, rib cage-rattling quality that will leave you breathless and bruised. You can’t
help but lose yourself physically and mentally in the gorgeous instrumentation in every ear-shattering
melodic solo and every bone-shattering breakdown. Amber Sea carries the
technical prowess and youthful recklessness that only the most seasoned waters
can hold. Today, the sky is red and Amber Sea’s Infantile Vision is the storm that is lurking on the horizon.
Actor Alan Rickman once beautifully
said, “It is an ancient need to be told stories. But the story needs a
storyteller.” Within us exists a primal hunger that can only be satisfied by
lucratively spun tales, layered with intrigue and emotion from an animated,
imaginative storyteller. Who better to
craft such imaginative tales than Holly With A Gun? The 6-piece alternative
rock band’s debut EP, Shadow Parallel,
is bound to captivate and nourish you with its emotive, well-layered lyrical
and instrumental content.
Kicking off the album is “Shoulder
Demons”: a catchy, powerful track that is filled with emotion and layered, energetic
instrumentals. A tasteful, layered fade-in intro quickly turns to driven chords
and riffs backed by beautiful, gentle piano medleys from Keyboardist Dan Carr
and relentless, fitting percussive elements from drummer Jacob Grappin. Vocalist
Scott Wiley pours out his heart with his lyrical content, stressing dynamic emphasis
in his raw, almost Midwestern-emo style of vocal performance. It’s an
intriguing, melodic track that will leave your ears begging for more.
Following is “Call Me (When You Need
Something)": a vibrant track that gleams with the grittier side of alternative
rock. Vocal and instrumental elements from “Shoulder Demons” bleeds through in
the intro before taking a drastic turn towards a harsher vocal delivery and
rougher riffs from guitarists Maldonado and Lugowski. Drummer Jacob Grappin
showcases a driving delivery of jazz & hardcore-blended percussion that is
artfully created to emphasize each emotive element in this track with each hit,
crash, kick and roll. This is clearly the album’s stand-out track with a
stellar display of well-blended musicality.
The album’s title track, “Shadow
Parallel”, is a bouncy, explosive track packed with layered vocals, and angry
riffs from guitars and keys. Bassist Ian Marcus shines in this track, with a
clearly audible walking bass line that has the perfect balance of force and
groove. Wiley’s shifts his vocal delivery from clean-cut to a progressively
grittier, harsher, rawer delivery, incorporating mid-screams for the sake of
vocal emphasis. Interestingly enough, the instrumentals also grow progressively
grittier parallel to Wiley, before the whole track spirals downward into an “organized”,
chaotic fade-out.
Vocalist Scott Wiley shows a
remarkable amount of talent with his ability to alternate between smooth and
grittier styles of vocal delivery, often times blending both for a crisp but
raw effect. Moreover, Wiley’s ability to add dynamic emphasis is a refreshing
talent that is rarely found within
this genre. He even incorporates light mid screams for the tasteful purpose of
dramatic emphasis, and it works to the band’s advantage.
Instrumentally, Shadow Parallel has a lot going for it. Not only are Wiley’s vocals
on a sliding scale from clean to grit, but the instrumental delivery follows parallel to the vocals. No instrument
overtakes another, despite the multiple layers within each track. But what
really stands out is the band’s overall disregard for the popular “verse-chorus”
structure, creating in its place a stream-of-conscious-esque form of delivery
both lyrically and instrumentally in tracks such as “Shadow Parallel”, “Call Me”,
and “Walks Of Life”. Furthermore, they craft an intricate, structured tale with
a clear set-up, climax, and conclusion in each track.
Overall, Holly With A Gun has created
one of the most entertaining Alternative Rock albums that I have heard in a
very long time. You can hear the amount of raw energy and emotion that each of
the band members put in to create the collection of stories that makes Shadow Parallel. The stellar blending of
instruments and vocals- and their respective styles- paints each scene so
vibrant and lively that it nearly takes form on a page. Holly With A Gun's Shadow Parallel is as much a musical endeavor as it is a timeless story. Listen to it and you'll know its meaning.
9/10
For Fans Of: Saosin, Circa Survive, Acceptance Katt Hass
