I have been giddy with anticipation waiting to write this review and letting you all know just what I think of this album so I think I will write it a bit back to front and say right from the off THIS ALBUM IS FANASTIC!!
I have posted a couple of hints (bloody big ones though, I admit) concerning my feelings of this album onto Facebook recently but now is the time to tell you the absolute truth. And the absolute truth is that this album ticked almost every single box and then some. There is (almost) nothing to fault it for (but I’ll get to that in a bit) and having to write this review means I am sad as I now have to take the album from my car (ready for the next review)
But let’s turn back time a bit to when it all started. The guys met in 2011 and jammed together for a few years before officially forming a band in the winter of 2013. They were “fuelled with a desire to make dark, melodic and uncompromising music” and with singer/guitarist Steph K’s influences listed as bands such as Danzig, Type O Negative and The Misfits, together with bassist Matt G’s jazz sensibilities and drummer Tom S’s hard hitting grooves they soon found themselves making their own brand of metal, dark and melodic with gothic influences.
In February 2015, the band released their first album “At the End of Time” which featured not only a musical guest appearance from Glen Dover, former guitarist with Megadeth and King Diamond, but also his assistance with the production of the album. Drummer Tom S is also replaced by Peter S, completely the line-up they have today.
So, let’s talk about the new album “An Imperfect Storm” which is due to be released on 07/04/2017 through Metal Revelation. As I have previously stated, on a couple of occasions, it is fantastic but let me tell you WHY I think it’s fantastic.
I like metal to be original, to have something that sets it apart from all the other bands churning out the same old stuff. And this album has that little spark that makes you sit up and take notice. Musically, there is nothing to fault. The guitars work well with the percussion section of the band with some superb solos and intricate guitar work. The drumming is tight and on beat and with the addition of stringed instruments (other than the guitar variety), supplied by the very talented Steph K who is not only the bands vocalist but guitarist too, it’s hard to believe this band has just three members. Certain parts of certain songs actually sound like the guys are backed by a whole string orchestra and this results in an incredible sound that creates a dark, gloomy, even sad atmosphere that really does give you goose bumps.
But it’s not the intricacies of the musical instruments and how well they work together that give this band the edge, oh no! Its Steph’s vocals!
I always think that a band can sometimes replace a guitarist or a drummer but they can’t always replace a singer, and this would be very difficult for this band as Steph has a VERY unique voice. Emotional and powerful, yet dark and melancholic, it’s the vocals that give this band their gothic sound. Reminding me a little bit of Tony Kakko from Sonata Artica and Kristofer Dommin, from the American band Dommin, Steph really does make the album his own, and that is by no means taking anything away from his fellow band members.
The whole album is powerful and emotional, dark and melancholic yet still managing to be a heavy metal album. The middle section of tracks 2 (“I’m Not Sorry” – which features Tank from Chasing Dragons) to 6 (“Apocalypse Forever”) is my favourite part of the album but being only 9 tracks long anyway the rest is not far behind and it finishes with the beautiful “Barbituate Blues”, the perfect ending for a not so imperfect album.
I previously stated that there was (almost) nothing to fault the album for but as I have given it 9 and not 10 there are just a few bits to point out.
Steph’s vocals go slightly a bit out of tune towards the end of “Apocalypse Forever” but he can be forgiven for this as his voice is as near perfect for the rest of the album as could possibly be. Track 8 “Call me Cain” features vocals from Kieran McGourty (ex-Sufference) and for the only time on the album there are dirty vocals. This kind of took away a bit of the magic of the album for me as I am not a lover of growls and screams but the previously mentioned beautiful track “Barbituate Blues” soon restored that.
And the only other criticism I can find is that the recording level might have been set a little too high. I found the louder I played the album (and there is no point in playing this quietly) the more distorted it became. This could, of course, just have been the stereo I was playing it on but this album is far too beautiful and far too harmonious to listen to distorted.
All in all, I loved this album, which I think you have worked out by now. It might not appeal to everyone, the individuality and uniqueness turning some people off but if you are willing to give something different a go, then buy this album when it is released in April. I was luckily enough to hear it before its release date and I will continue to listen to it way past the official launch.
TRACKLISTING:
1. I’m Not Sorry – feat. Tank (Chasing Dragons)
2. Die With Me – a Soldier’s Song
3. Tongues of Fire
4. Nail Me Upside Down
5. I Did it for You
6. Apocalypse Forever
7. Greater Love
8. Call me Cain (He Never Died) – feat. Kieran McGourty (ex-Sufferance)
9. Barbiturate Blues
LINE-UP:
Steph K – Vocals
Matt G – Bass
Tom S – Drums
This review is purely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum