Alright, I got my copy of BIRTHRIGHT in the mail today and have given it several spins and I actually have to say that I am really enjoying it. While I still can't say I agree with it being "one of the best albums out there", it certainly is a solid debut album and one that shows the band has quite a lot of talent and is one to watch. There are some parts in songs I admittedly wasn't too crazy about, yet other parts were purely awesome. Overall my top favorite songs are "The Wake", "Birthright", "A New Melody", "Seeds Of Hope" and "Solitude". But no song on this album needs to be skipped which is very nice. I love albums that I can listen to from start to finish. As I have said many times before, I mainly judge a band for the vocalist. A band's music can be incredible, but if I am not feeling the vocalist then all the sweet melodies and hooks in the world can not save them. I will say that the guitars/bass are quite good though and create some nice riffs, leads and basslines. And the drummer is equally as talented, even throwing in some sweet double pedal work where it's needed, yet not overdoing it. I am not a musician and so I do not know the technical terms for describing music. I only can describe what vocal melodies/instruments I do like versus those I don't.
"A New Melody" starts out kind of...blah. :Smug: The first couple of vocal lines were too subdued and weak sounding. But once the vocalist opens up with the more 'gruff' vocal style about three lines in, it dashed my fears of them sounding like some desperate band with a terrified, unconfident vocalist. My favorite part of this song is the great hook at 3:04-3:20. Just awesome.
Also, a nice surprise was the short falsetto vocal at the end of the "hope you close your eyes" lyric. I wish Scott would have used that tone a few more times in the album. This song is one of my favorites.
"Beyond The Gardens" is a fairly good softer song and the chorus isn't bad but nothing really stuck out in my mind with this song. It's a nice ballad, just nothing to write home about. I suppose the bridge is my favorite part and I liked the violin. Something about the waltz-like beat doesn't quite fit with me though.
"Reach" has some nice guitar leads in it. But again, nothing vocally/musically really stood out for me.
I like the choruses of "Final Error" and the outro when the keys join in and then the riffing/double bass at the end.
I love the guitar at the very start of "The Wake". The whole song I found very enjoyable. I really liked the catchy choruses and bridge before the final chorus as well. 3:30 into the song is also a great piece. No complaints on this song at all. Nice bass. I like everything about it.
"Solitude" starts out sounding like some older unreleased Metallica ballad (musically). I am not too crazy about the first half of the song but at 3:30 it becomes really good from there on out.
"Deliberation" is just an instrumental intro.....peaceful but nothing else really to say.
"Seed Of Hope" is a 10 minute long epic with lots of good solos, riffs, strong vocals and drumming and atmospheric keys. The choruses are powerful vocally. Another favorite part is 6:12-6:28. I love the double bass there...it's pretty subtle yet adds power to that riff.
I am really torn on "Birthright". It's like two songs mixed together as one. I love both parts of this song, but I personally wish the band would have expanded more upon the beautiful intro to this song. For lack of a better description, it has a very solemn atmosphere to it with a somber keyboard and guitar feedback effect in the background, almost like something you'd hear at a funeral or perhaps even a church (only there you'd expect to hear it replaced with a pipe organ). I can't really describe it beyond that but the choir-esque vocals are just haunting during this
far too short section of the song. Once that area (sadly) ends, the guitar starts growing in the background until the drums kick in and it plays around a little bit before opening the main hook (which is also very catchy, especially at the chorus which is unfortunately only sung once).
Overall, I am pretty happy with the album. I believe Silent Lapse still needs some work to really cement their talent and perhaps encourage their singer to try using his falsetto a bit more often to give his vocals more variety but really, there is not much advice I can offer. They seem to know what they are doing and doing it well. I do hope Scott sticks around this time (I guess he left once?) The fact that he sings instead of grunting/growling/screaming really makes all the difference and helped make Silent Lapse accessible for someone like me who has to enjoy the vocalist first before I can move on to appreciating the music. While most people on here think my taste in music is generic, I will still recommend giving Silent Lapse a fair shot. Especially for the fact that right now the band is offering their music for free, so you cannot lose. Silent Lapse is now the second band I've found through this forum (the first was Monokromia) that I've really ended up liking.
Damn, I can't believe I just typed all that!!
Jack
What else am I here for
