Wuthering Heights Far from the Madding Ground
Sensory Records SR3022 - 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
The last I heard from Wuthering Heights was in their debut Within, a release that combined symphonic, progressive and folk elements - enjoyable in the beginning but not for the long run. Far from the Madding Ground is their third album, and while there are improvements in almost every area, it is still an record that I dont see myself listening to much.
The biggest improvement that Wuthering Heights made was definitely with their vocalist. Gone is Kristian Andrén, and enter none other than Patrick Johansson who sounds like a combination of Dio, Russell Allen and Jorn Lande. Patrick also appeared in Space Odyssey, and most recently with Astral Doors. His commanding powerful style is just what this band needed to add some authority to their sound. Kristian didnt have that strong a voice to my taste, which weakened their sound. Patrick also shows more range than I had heard before, because there are times where he sings in a higher pitch, and with a softer sound. The ballad Lament for Lórien is one example where this can be heard.
The music has also been infused with a healthy dose of folk melodies. The majority of the solos and riffs by guitarists Erik Ravn and Henrik Fluman focus on these Celtic-type melodies. With instruments like the bagpipe, banjo, flute and strings mixed in, the folk sound can really stand out. But dont be fooled, this is not just a folk album. The band definitely speeds it up at times, and employs a heavy sound. The instrumental Bad Hobbits Die Hard is the heaviest song in the album, The Road Goes Ever On is a very energetic and heavy track, as is Longing for the Woods Part 1: The Wild Children, which has one of the catchiest choruses I have ever heard. Its sung by Patrick and some backup vocalists, including a woman who takes the lead at one moment. In fact the Longing for the Woods trilogy is the best thing that this band does in Far from the Madding Crowd. Each song is different enough to be distinguishable, but the same musical themes (especially that great chorus) unite each one.
Where I think that Wuthering Heights goes wrong is that they lengthen songs too much. This is compounded by the fact they try too be too ambitious when changing tempos, which at times sound very forced. In the aforementioned The Road Goes Ever On I got tired of the repetition of the chorus - it should have ended after the dual guitar keyboard solo section, and that very cool western sounding melody ending at 5:40. But the band decided to keep it going with the main melody; right when it ends and segues to Patricks singing it just sounds really forced. It then continues for another 2 minutes. These problems persist at various times throughout, and with just a little bit more work in their songwriting, the band could definitely come out with stronger songs. I could have also done without The Bollard cover song, or at least they could have put it in the end, because I feel it breaks the flow of the album.
Wuthering Heights has definitely improved from the debut (I have yet to hear the second album), and with Patrick singing coupled with more focused songwriting, this band can definitely be better. They have the talent and a great sound, its just a matter of tweaking the parts now.
7.5/10
Wuthering Heights Official Website
Sensory Records Official Website
Sensory Records SR3022 - 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
The last I heard from Wuthering Heights was in their debut Within, a release that combined symphonic, progressive and folk elements - enjoyable in the beginning but not for the long run. Far from the Madding Ground is their third album, and while there are improvements in almost every area, it is still an record that I dont see myself listening to much.
The biggest improvement that Wuthering Heights made was definitely with their vocalist. Gone is Kristian Andrén, and enter none other than Patrick Johansson who sounds like a combination of Dio, Russell Allen and Jorn Lande. Patrick also appeared in Space Odyssey, and most recently with Astral Doors. His commanding powerful style is just what this band needed to add some authority to their sound. Kristian didnt have that strong a voice to my taste, which weakened their sound. Patrick also shows more range than I had heard before, because there are times where he sings in a higher pitch, and with a softer sound. The ballad Lament for Lórien is one example where this can be heard.
The music has also been infused with a healthy dose of folk melodies. The majority of the solos and riffs by guitarists Erik Ravn and Henrik Fluman focus on these Celtic-type melodies. With instruments like the bagpipe, banjo, flute and strings mixed in, the folk sound can really stand out. But dont be fooled, this is not just a folk album. The band definitely speeds it up at times, and employs a heavy sound. The instrumental Bad Hobbits Die Hard is the heaviest song in the album, The Road Goes Ever On is a very energetic and heavy track, as is Longing for the Woods Part 1: The Wild Children, which has one of the catchiest choruses I have ever heard. Its sung by Patrick and some backup vocalists, including a woman who takes the lead at one moment. In fact the Longing for the Woods trilogy is the best thing that this band does in Far from the Madding Crowd. Each song is different enough to be distinguishable, but the same musical themes (especially that great chorus) unite each one.
Where I think that Wuthering Heights goes wrong is that they lengthen songs too much. This is compounded by the fact they try too be too ambitious when changing tempos, which at times sound very forced. In the aforementioned The Road Goes Ever On I got tired of the repetition of the chorus - it should have ended after the dual guitar keyboard solo section, and that very cool western sounding melody ending at 5:40. But the band decided to keep it going with the main melody; right when it ends and segues to Patricks singing it just sounds really forced. It then continues for another 2 minutes. These problems persist at various times throughout, and with just a little bit more work in their songwriting, the band could definitely come out with stronger songs. I could have also done without The Bollard cover song, or at least they could have put it in the end, because I feel it breaks the flow of the album.
Wuthering Heights has definitely improved from the debut (I have yet to hear the second album), and with Patrick singing coupled with more focused songwriting, this band can definitely be better. They have the talent and a great sound, its just a matter of tweaking the parts now.
7.5/10
Wuthering Heights Official Website
Sensory Records Official Website
