Reviews
17
Spark The Sail
Dream State
Conflict North
Coldrain
Sapphire Deep
Self-Released
Words: Heather Moss
Up and coming pop-rock
band Spark The Sail are
preparing to conquer the
hearts and ears of the nation
with self-released debut EP
‘Sapphire Deep’. Formed
in 2013, the Bristol rockers
began life as a duo but with
their decision to expand
to a quintet came their
opportunity to be a vibrant
and energetic addition to
the alternative scene.
Opening track ‘Sapphire’
seems to glow with its
infectious, memorable
hooks and harmonious dual
vocals. Beginning with a
suspenseful and enticing
intro, that isn’t dissimilar to
something you’d hear on
Linkin Park’s ‘Hybrid Theory’,
the listeners expectations
build for a banger of a
release. However, while a
solid pop-rock attempt,
the song fails to match its
introduction’s hype resulting
in a slightly underwhelming
opener. Next track ‘Never
The Moment’ follows a
catchy riff and underpinning
juxtaposing male/female
vocals. Male singer
Ryan Moore’s vocals are
reminiscent of Panic! At The
Disco frontman Brendon
Urie’s and are the standout
feature of the song. Moore
litters the record with
spectacular high notes and a
statement accent that could
rival that of Tom DeLonge’s;
“I can’t a find a way to make
this seem easier” he croons
during the bridge, the drawl
tainting the lyrics making
the track a notably stand-out
three minutes of the EP.
Spark The Sail have certainly
created a crowd-pleasing
record, ‘Trust Me’ brings
a more emotive quality
to Sapphire Deep with its
gentle acoustic guitar and
sentimental vocals, and
listening to ‘Outlook’ and
‘Pieces’ you can sense an
energy that would enrapture
a live audience; they’re a
band that emit a sense of
both intimacy and activity.
For a debut EP, it’s a strong
effort that demonstrates
the potential of the young
pop-rockers and is definitely
worth purchasing upon its
release on November 6th.
Consequences
Treading Water
Vena
Self-Released
Words: Stuart Iversen
Wales has always had a
bit of a thing for good
post-hardcore bands. The
success of Funeral For a
Friend seemed to galvanise
the country and since then
they’ve seen a steady stream
of exciting bands emerge.
Looking to join those ranks
is Dream State, with their
debut EP, Consequences.
As ‘Burden’ kicks us off most
people’s minds will leap
straight to the Paramore
comparison. A female
vocalist backed up by a solid
alternative rock band always
has that effect. But the truth
is, as it tends to be with
every female lead band, that
it’s a lazy comparison. Sure
there are some similarities,
particularly with Paramore’s
earlier work, but Dream
State deserve to be looked
at in their own right.
In fact, tracks like ‘Burn
Them Down’ bear as much
comparison to the work
of A Day to Remember as
they do anyone else. With
the contrast between
Charlotte-Jane Gilipin’s
melodic vocals and the more
aggressive approach taken
by Sam Harrison-Little on
the backing vocals really
standing out. Throw in a
huge chorus and it already
feels like a sure fire hit.
On the other hand, ‘Try
Again’ has a more relaxed
feeling, allowing Gilpin’s
voice to take centre stage as
it takes it’s time building up
to a chorus that shows off
her range. While ‘Relentless’
lives up to its name with its
jabbing riffs and wild feel.
Finally, ‘Rebuild, Recreate’
sees everything take on
a more melancholic edge
and has Gilpin give her best
performance on the album.
Dream State write music that
you want to listen to. It’s
packed full of catchy hooks
and soaring choruses which
demand your attention. If
they can keep writing songs
of this level, then they are a
band that we should all get
used to hearing a hell of a lot
more about. Consequences
is out through all platforms
and stores on Friday 20th
November.
Self-Release
Words: Pagan Hel
Conflict North, a strange
name considering they are
from down South.
In true metal core assault
the first track ‘This Too Shall
Pass’ delves into a sizzling
onslaught of venomous
intensity with powerful
vocal edge, melodic riffs and
torrid beats that instantly
bed down into the aural,
blanketing them with a
compellingly ferocious lure.
The second track ‘Lessons
Learnt’ has a superb
chugging rhythm that lies
beneath a strenuous vocal
turning clean and lilts, so
the mix of both clearly
give the band that diverse
leaning and they make use
of every avenue. ‘Wake Up’
holds a lot of ambiance
and atmosphere as well
as the tell-tale metal core
element. The melodies flow
uninterrupted and seamless
before it buckles under the
weight of some stupendous
harsh growling tones.
‘Still Breathing’ offers up a
superb weave of impressive
music and vocal combined
with a punishing rhythm
that is catchy and addictive!
Now they have well and
truly tenderised the ears!
‘Labyrinths’ holds a savage
breath that executes
emotion to the forefront
with compelling riffs and
steely bass hooks making
it a very imposing track
that is best played on full
max volume to feel it in
your guts! But then there
are always those cheeky
clean vocals that keep it
grounded.
‘All I have’ is a superb array
of monstrous riffs taunting
the ears as the hearty growl
takes over. The unbridled
passions within this track are
raw and full of excitement,
although maybe slightly
subtler, but none the less
powerful at weaving their
magic.
I can’t believe this band only
have 199 likes – metal core
isn’t to everyone’s taste,
however, the music doesn’t
lie, if you like brutal with a
cheeky hint of clean then
Conflict North are the ones
to watch!
Hopeless Records
Words: Heather Moss
Hailing from Japan, Coldrain
are a post-hardcore quintet
that are about to revolutionise
their scene with new album,
‘VENA’. Released this October,
the fourth album by the
Japanese heavyweights is
overflowing with countless
anthemic tracks that will
ha