Towersound - s/t 3/5
Reviewed: 6-17-05
Tracklist:
1. Prelude to the tale of...
2. Towersound
3. Devils of the night
4. Shine over me
5. Hell's on the speedway
6. Bring your life to light
7. My wild rose
8. It's a good day to die
9. Final march, last war
Part l - Desolation
Part ll - We rise up against darkness
Part lll - Courage shall guide us to victory
Part lV - Final march, last war
Part V - Marks and memories
10. Enchanted alloy
11. Doomed at dawn (bonus track)
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Having never been a musician myself, it's difficult sometimes for me to imagine exactly what it takes to be a musician, create a band, focus on a music style, go through the demo stages, create an album, then search for the proper promoters and record label (and these are just some of the big steps, as the process is actually much more involved). Discovering the French band Towersound has definitely given me a better feel for what it takes to follow this process. It's all about passion.
I've always been very passionate about the amazing music that comes my way, but my listening enjoyment is obviously due to the bands. So as I discover Towersound is made up of 3 brothers (the 2 oldest being self-taught musicians!), I can't help but be thankful I have the opportunity to review their 's/t' debut. The oldest brother, Jon, is the vocalist and main songwriter, followed by guitarist Lonn, and finally the youngest Flo, who handles the drums. It's a formation that anyone would be very pleased to discover.
The band plays heavy/traditional metal with a touch of power, and there's an epic medieval atmosphere that's present. Just as with some of the other bands in this style, a variety of instruments are used, including a flute and even a pipe organ can be heard on occasion. The vocals from Jon definitely fit this style of music. His voice is somewhat deep but clear, reminding me of the Italian vocalists Michele Sorrentino of Landguard and Luigi Maione from the Dark Horizon debut. However, those vocalists sometimes hit a higher pitch and Jon does not. I quite enjoy Jon's consistent voice and hope he continues in the genre for a long time. The production isn't at a very high level though; the guitars aren't always powerful and the drums sound a bit weak at times too. But the majority of the songs are structured well and are very melodic, so it's obvious these guys do have something special here.
We start off with "Prelude to the tale of...", a nice intro where many of the mentioned instruments can be heard. This gets us ready for the first real song "Towersound", where (unfortunately) the slightly lower production quality is heard immediately. The song has a few different guitar solos (actually, the frequent guitar solos by Lonn are a major highlight of the CD) and a strong chorus though, and ends up being one of the better songs on the CD. Track 3 "Devils of the night" is possibly the most memorable, but I've found the wonderful slow song "My wild rose" to be a favorite and a song the band should really be proud of. The lengthy epic "Final march, last war" (with 5 parts) is awesome! This is where Jon's voice, Flo's drumming and Lonn's guitar work are all stellar and you realize the band has a future. I also like the instrumental "Enchanted alloy", but the unmentioned songs ("Hell's on the speedway" and "It's a good day to die" for example) come off as average and hold the CD back a bit from reaching its full potential.
Towersound is the perfect band to remind us of what music is all about, and I'm sure they've accomplished what they've desired. As a serious listener, I've found the CD to be very memorable and feel that few songs lack solid songwriting. The competition is fierce in the metal world though, and the band has some work to do in the production department. So we'll have to wait for a sophomore release before we can possibly place them at the top of the "tower". Until then, I'll enjoy this day, when passion is the link between musician and listener.
CLINT
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