The Reasoning – “Adverse Chamber” (2010)
Label : Comet Music
Review by Luisa Mercier
“Adverse Camber” is the third release of the British band The Reasoning. It is quite short, about 40 minutes of music, and it is released in a context, the UK prog scene which is quite fertile. The members of The Reasoning have been or still are part of other prog bands: bass guitar player Matthew Cohen for example, was part of Magenta before he formed The Reasoning in 2005. Lead vocalist Rachel Jones married with Matthew and therefore is currently known as Rachel Cohen. The overall sound is heavier than in their previous releases; in the opener “Diamond and Leather” you can hear that the guitars are quite aggressive, the same in “The Nobody Effect” and “14″ the last song, although they never step out of the rock territories. The quality of the record is very high, it is not a revolutionary album which will change forever the prog rock scene, but it is enjoyable and catchy enough to stay in your favorite music player for a while. Let us say that is a good compromise between prog madness and catchyness; all graced by the skilled vocals of Rachel.
Rating – 70/100
Tracklist
- Diamonds and Leather
- The Nobody Effect
- The Thirteenth Hour
- Through the Now
- Script-Switch Trigger
- 14
Line Up
- Rachel Cohen – Vocals & percussion
- Dylan Thompson – Vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar & mandolin
- Matthew Cohen – Bass guitar, backing vocals, mandolin & percussion
- Maria Owen – Vocals
- Tony Turrel – Keyboards & backing vocals
- Owain Roberts – Electric guitar
- Jake Bradford-Sharp – Drums & percussion
Links
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The Reasoning – “Acoustically Speaking” (2010)
Label : Comet Music
Review by Luisa Mercier
As the title may suggest, in this record The Reasoning turn their old songs in acoustic pieces, very atmospheric and sometimes even more beautiful than the original ones. Deprived of their prog structure, the songs have to stand alone and they succed. This means a very high quality of the original compositions. Listen for example “In the Future” from their 2008 “Dark Angel”, it has a warm sound and sometimes it seems even richer, especially in the instrumental breaks. I have to say that the songs are not completely stripped down, there are still drums, bass guitar, keyboards but obviously the guitars are not distorted. The harp in the beginning of “Script Switch Trigger” is just lovely and lends to the track a fairy-ish atmosphere together with delicate Rachel‘s vocals. Sometimes she duets with another male vocalist, the one she replaces in the previous album and the two are perfectly complementary. Enchanting is “The Nobody Effect” which has become a very nice ballad retaining the uplifting feeling in the chorus. The closing track “Within Cold Glass” has a nice folk-rock feeling to it which has been unveiled by the acoustic arrangement.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- The Thirteenth Hour
- In the Future
- Script Switch Trigger
- Aching Hunger
- Dark Angel
- The Nobody Effect
- Sacred Shape
- Within Cold Glass
- A Musing Dream
Line Up
- Rachel Cohen – Vocals, Percussion
- Owain Roberts – Guitars
- Tony Turrell – Keyboards, Vocals
- Matthew Cohen – Bass, Backing Vocals
- Jake Bradford-Sharp – Drums, Backing Vocals
Links
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Eerie Sounds Section : Under Heaven – “What Lies Between” (2008)
Label : Maestro I Productions
Review by Tony Cannella
Under Heaven are a Gothic/ambient duo from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their line-up consists of only two members, singer Tammy Everett and Matthew Binks who make up the core of Under Heaven. Their debut album – out now on Maestro I – is titled “What Lies Between” and sees the band setting out to take the goth genre to a whole new level. After listening to this 11-song CD, it is apparent that Under Heaven are on the right path. The CD opens some hauntingly beautiful cinematic type music as the opening track “Cryptic” kicks in and right away you can tell Under Heaven are something a little bit different from the norm. The song really gets going as it gets heavier and the soaring vocals of Tammy come in – a nice opener that weaves a beautiful musical tapestry. Next is ”Behind The Shadows”. It’s starts with some excellent piano before launching into a crunchy heavy riff and Tammy‘s hauntingly beautiful vocals come in once again. Next is “The Line”.This is where the band shows off a bit of a Celtic influence, with a nice, bouncy violin intro. In fact, violin is featured prominently throughout this song. Next up, we have the first of two cover songs. It is a version of the Chris DeBurgh song “Spanish Train” and man this version is a real treat to listen to. It starts off with some Spanish guitar and it really moves along like a train. Tammy incorporates a different style here as the she take on the role of story teller. She is joined by two male vocalists: James Everett (as the Devil) and Mike Ferfolia (as God). The song also features some cool orchestration and such great peaks and valleys, that it instantly became one of my favorites. Next is “Die a Little More”. It begins with some melancholy sounding piano and Tammy‘s wistful vocals come. The song gets heavier around the chorus, but it is still a powerful, heartfelt number. The songs are very well written and lyrically many of the tracks are dealing with very real emotions and the musicianship really makes them come alive. Continuing on “Home”, the 7-minute “Pandora”, “Inner Sun” and “My Crystalline” are definitely four more highlights. Their version of the Depeche Mode song “Enjoy the Silence” is the second cover presented here and once again the band do a great job with it. The final song “We Go On” is just pure beauty and emotion and a nice way to end things. It is hard to really find any band to compare them to, but they remind me a bit – at times – of the great Norwegian band The 3rd and the Mortal. The songs on “What Lies Between” have so much depth and emotion that it is hard not to root for a band like this. They may be a goth band at heart, but they are also not afraid to come out of that box and go in a different direction. Throughout the 11 songs and 55 minutes worth of music contained here, you can also hear some Celtic influences as well as 70′s prog rock. I’ll be the first to admit that I am no goth aficionado, but you don’t have to be to enjoy Under Heaven. They can – and should – be enjoyed by all.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Cryptic
- Behind the Shadows
- The Line
- Spanish Train
- Die a Little More
- Home
- Pandora
- My Crystalline
- Inner Sun
- Departir
- Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode Cover)
- We Go On Amin
- Levis
- Under der Linden
Line Up
- Tammy Everett – Vocals
- Matthew Binks – Composer & Musician
Links
Style switcher only on this demo version. Theme styles can be changed from Options page.
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