If you have any preconceived notions about how Christian Alvestams Self 2.0 ep should sound like, throw them out the window. This is not Solution .45 or Scar Symmetry. Expecting a heavy record? Nope. You are about to experience the same sort of whiplash you got when you first heard The Night Flight Orchestra and couldnt believe that was Strid doing a disc like that. There is no crunch on this ep. There are no death vocals. There is no metal.
That said, this is a fucking amazing ep for those with an open mind. Fans of Christian know that his clean vocals are some of the smoothest in metal. On this ep, they become the true focus with his best vocal performance ever. Very brief thoughts on the tracks:
1. Once Adreamed- Bouncy electronic keys combined with a simple, yet so cool guitar picking and then BAM! Monster saxophone solo! That leads to a fantastic mellow verse structure with a chorus similar to Lethean Tears. And the sax more sax. Im in heaven.
2. Time to Let Go- A somber piano intro leads to a beautiful acoustic bit. Its almost sounds like a heavy mellow Eagles tune complete with an awesome power balladesque guitar solo.
3. Origins- This is a very radio friendly tune complete with a U2 vibe in the intro (think Where the Streets ) before bouncing right along with some glorious who-whoas the rest of the tune.
4. The Unforsaken- Its almost a Peter Gabriel type ballad complete with lush keys at the start. This is the warmest track on the disc complete with a soaring chorus and another bluesy guitar lead straight out of the Joe Walsh school of guitar. This is simply fucking awesome and is currently on repeat over and over and over.
5. En Kippa Ljung- I cant understand a damn word, but I can understand the emotion as if I had know this song all my life. It starts off as a dark, haunting acoustic number that takes you through peaks and valleys with a bit of blues & tempo/octave changes . However, its the bombastic, lush chorus at the end that just really hits it out of the park.
Awesome.....just awesome.
That said, this is a fucking amazing ep for those with an open mind. Fans of Christian know that his clean vocals are some of the smoothest in metal. On this ep, they become the true focus with his best vocal performance ever. Very brief thoughts on the tracks:
1. Once Adreamed- Bouncy electronic keys combined with a simple, yet so cool guitar picking and then BAM! Monster saxophone solo! That leads to a fantastic mellow verse structure with a chorus similar to Lethean Tears. And the sax more sax. Im in heaven.
2. Time to Let Go- A somber piano intro leads to a beautiful acoustic bit. Its almost sounds like a heavy mellow Eagles tune complete with an awesome power balladesque guitar solo.
3. Origins- This is a very radio friendly tune complete with a U2 vibe in the intro (think Where the Streets ) before bouncing right along with some glorious who-whoas the rest of the tune.
4. The Unforsaken- Its almost a Peter Gabriel type ballad complete with lush keys at the start. This is the warmest track on the disc complete with a soaring chorus and another bluesy guitar lead straight out of the Joe Walsh school of guitar. This is simply fucking awesome and is currently on repeat over and over and over.
5. En Kippa Ljung- I cant understand a damn word, but I can understand the emotion as if I had know this song all my life. It starts off as a dark, haunting acoustic number that takes you through peaks and valleys with a bit of blues & tempo/octave changes . However, its the bombastic, lush chorus at the end that just really hits it out of the park.
Awesome.....just awesome.
