I’ve been waiting for this album since hearing the first single drop ages and ages ago!

 

White Raven Down are such a fantastic bunch of people making great music. If you’ve seen them play, then you can tell just how much passion they have for their craft. After listening to the singles and now the album, you can see just how well they have taken that passion and transferred it into a killer album. 

 

"Apollo learnt of the Coronis’ infidelity from the White Raven….. in his rage, Apollo took his bow and fired the flaming arrow at the Corvid…..The arrow struck the messenger thus making his scorched corpse, and his kind, black as night…. Forever"

 

I spoke to the guys are few months ago via zoom and you could tell then that they were excited about the album.....I think you know deep down when you’ve created something big, because all you want to do is tell everyone about it. Stu was bursting to say something and you could tell that he was trying really hard to reign himself in. So....yes, I really am expecting big things from this album. 

 

Am I disappointed? Hell No!

 

Demons At Your Door

A slow and delicate opening to the first track which builds from a great solo/noodle to a heavy Riff. The track then cuts back again to allow the vocals to swoop and soar, taking you on a flight of musical discovery. There is a depth to the Guitar sound that I really like and when the solo nearer the end takes hold of you....its got a tight grip and it doesn’t let you go! How do you start an album with such a classic like this and then give you more further down the line? Evidently this is just the start of something big.

 

Price You Pay.

This was the second single released and its more standard in its initial format, with a Beautifully heavy Riff that you can really get behind. This is far from simplicity as the guitar and bass lines are quite intricate in their design.

 

Not Alone.

Heavy and thick guitar sounds matched with some superb drumming, let’s this track search out your soul that you thought was well hidden and drags it out through your chest. Match this with perfectly balanced vocals, this is a killer track.

 

Masquerade.

The third single, with my favourite vocal melody which drives the song. Not so heavy from the outset as the previous couple, but it builds, almost like a firework....slow to start but gets brighter and brighter until its timely conclusion.

 

All Day Long.

There’s no getting away from it, that dirty riff at the beginning is the star of this show. It lulls you into a false sense of security until you realise it kidnapped your previous favourite track by whoever and thrown it to the wolves without a care. That riff knows that IT is now your favourite track ever! It is only outshone by the solo.

The only thing that comes close to beating the riff, is the performance by the rest of the band! Can I say its my favourite track here? Not quite.

 

Mind Reader.

Continuing in the vein of sick dirty Riffs, this one grabs you by the balls and tears them away!

Just how the drums and Bass keep up with the pace set by the guitars, I have absolutely no idea! That break down in the middle (if you can call it that), is pretty divine and then you get that shredding. Holy cow...........

 

Roll Of The Dice.

The first single released and pretty much the first time I heard these guys. A steady riff rolls through the entire track, allowing the vocals to take centre stage and carry the song. They do this with style I may add, we all probably have different ideas on what song should be a single, at first listen....the previous couple of tracks would have been absolute bangers...but you need that track to highlight the completeness of this band and ‘Dice is certainly that.

 

Salvation.

An acoustic track which shows another side to the band. I love this because it’s completely different to all the other songs but at the same time, its a perfect fit with the band. It also allows you time to draw a breath and recover a little.

The second half ....just saying.

 

The Road.

Just who did the production on this album? It is superb! This track really shines because of it. Its a slow burner which builds. There is great use of keys in this, I’m not a huge fan of keys in Rock as it can be overdone and make it sound very European. Bang on the money here though.

 

Lost Your Hold.

The current single with its blistering fretwork and pounding drums. It’s March like riff during the verse is massive and the key change near the end is inspired.

 

Void And Flame.

Don’t let the gentle intro fool you....this track will shred the eardrums! This track will get the most stoic of people nodding their head in time, a helluva way to finish an album. You get sudden movement changes and a delicious guitar tone in many different sections. How can you fail to love this track??

 

The tracks do seem to follow a particular order, like a story is being told. Not in a concept album manner, but close. Thought has been given to every word that written....giving the entire album some depth and meaning to match the sheer brilliance of the music itself.

 

Faultless.

For me, this is the perfect album. Every part of this album has been well written, performed with style and produced to perfection. Heavy, meaty Riffs with hard hitting drums and a bassline that is more like a lead in intricacies. The vocals are bang on point throughout the entire album, never forced, never in excess.

 

This is the album of the year. There is nothing out there that can touch it. I dare anyone to even consider trying to change my mind. I will even go as far as saying, that if it doesn’t make the top 5 album’s of the year in the NWOCR polls, I shall interview the band again to commiserate, wearing a pink leotard and tutu. This is how confident I am in this album.

 

Buy this album, stream it....buy the Merch and go to a gig where they are playing. Make sure you tell your friends, tell your neighbours and play it loud.