Nuclear Blast
2013
1. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: On The Sideline
2. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: The Limbic System
3. Wild Card
4. Precibus
5. Nothing
6. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: Neurasthenia
7. Distorted Lullabies
8. Amendatory
9. I Can Become
10. Misery's No Crime
11. Wolf And Dog
It's no big secret that I'm all about vocal ability really. It's not by any means the only thing important to me, but it does go a long way and I place a lot of importance on a strong singer. One reason death metal rarely does anything for me. Back on point though, this band certainly does have one hell of a talented singer in Floor Jansen. She's pretty well regarded for her operatic ability, something that landed her in Nightwish as well, and she's done a fair amount of guest work, etc around the metal scene. I found the first album a good showcase of her ability so I was looking for more of that here.
Listening to this one, the basic formula remains intact. This is female fronted gothic material mixed with a nice dark/aggressive edge and backed by some symphonic elements. One thing I do notice though is the riffing does seem a bit more harsh and in your face on this one. The heaviness is good, but I do find that this album does not immediately jump at me as much as the debut. Perhaps it's the fact that the melodies aren't as smooth and the it loses a degree of catchiness as a result. After listening to this one a bunch of times the songs just didn't stick with me quite as much. The material is good, but not as loaded with the kind of hooks I like in female fronted gothic material. There's something to be said for the aggression if you're in the mood for something heavier, but I would have liked a bit more balance perhaps. One track that does get it right while being pretty heavy is Neurasthenia which has nice melodies and some solid backing vocals from one Devin Townsend. That one is easily my favorite on here. Also worth noting is Distorted Lullabies which stands out with some nice softer moments, and On The Sideline which has a standout chorus and opens the album with driving energy.
Overall, this isn't a displeasing album by any means and I quite like it. It just doesn't have the kind of standout songwriting that the debut had. A solid overall experience, but Wild Card does try just a bit too hard to be biting while not playing up Floor Jansen's smooth voice enough. It's always wise to play to your strength's when you have a superior talent in your band. This is still solid though and I'm sure fans of Floor and the last album will find enough to enjoy here.
Highlights: Neurasthenia, Distorted Lullabies, On The Sideline
Rating - 3.5/5
2. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: The Limbic System
3. Wild Card
4. Precibus
5. Nothing
6. The Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown: Neurasthenia
7. Distorted Lullabies
8. Amendatory
9. I Can Become
10. Misery's No Crime
11. Wolf And Dog
It's no big secret that I'm all about vocal ability really. It's not by any means the only thing important to me, but it does go a long way and I place a lot of importance on a strong singer. One reason death metal rarely does anything for me. Back on point though, this band certainly does have one hell of a talented singer in Floor Jansen. She's pretty well regarded for her operatic ability, something that landed her in Nightwish as well, and she's done a fair amount of guest work, etc around the metal scene. I found the first album a good showcase of her ability so I was looking for more of that here.
Listening to this one, the basic formula remains intact. This is female fronted gothic material mixed with a nice dark/aggressive edge and backed by some symphonic elements. One thing I do notice though is the riffing does seem a bit more harsh and in your face on this one. The heaviness is good, but I do find that this album does not immediately jump at me as much as the debut. Perhaps it's the fact that the melodies aren't as smooth and the it loses a degree of catchiness as a result. After listening to this one a bunch of times the songs just didn't stick with me quite as much. The material is good, but not as loaded with the kind of hooks I like in female fronted gothic material. There's something to be said for the aggression if you're in the mood for something heavier, but I would have liked a bit more balance perhaps. One track that does get it right while being pretty heavy is Neurasthenia which has nice melodies and some solid backing vocals from one Devin Townsend. That one is easily my favorite on here. Also worth noting is Distorted Lullabies which stands out with some nice softer moments, and On The Sideline which has a standout chorus and opens the album with driving energy.
Overall, this isn't a displeasing album by any means and I quite like it. It just doesn't have the kind of standout songwriting that the debut had. A solid overall experience, but Wild Card does try just a bit too hard to be biting while not playing up Floor Jansen's smooth voice enough. It's always wise to play to your strength's when you have a superior talent in your band. This is still solid though and I'm sure fans of Floor and the last album will find enough to enjoy here.
Highlights: Neurasthenia, Distorted Lullabies, On The Sideline
Rating - 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment