By Maria Glover
Unsigned Italian release their album, ‘Silent Water’, tomorrow (Friday 20 March) and we’ve had a sneaky look at Über Rock. Now I don’t know much about this band, as they have little online presence and, what there is, is in Italian, but Facebook says they formed in 2015.
The first track, ‘Bloody Fountain’, is a dark and brooding lament which I would loosely describe as having tendencies towards stoner and doom rock. That said, the track changes pace at least twice and the distorted vocals become more melodious at the drama-infused chorus. ‘Wonder Def’ starts with a fast and furious beat but the screeching vocal does nothing for me I’m afraid and the song is all fur coat…
‘Two Good Sisters’ has sirens running parallel and an unusual sound, all drama and theatre, with a good solid rhythm section foundation. My first impression so far however is that this is a mixed bag rather than a band pushing boundaries.
I really enjoy ‘Sick’ – I like the vocals when he isn’t trying to do something different but sounds more natural. This is more alt rock and there is some lovely guitar work at three minutes. Title track ‘Silent Water’ is sombre and the vocal style paired with the heavy bass is a little gloomy. This is another mixed bag vocally and could benefit from a little light blended in with the shade.
‘Blue Whale’ is an ambitious and somewhat successful dance away from the usual, a quiet and atmospheric opening with whale sounds develops into a heavy sound which gets me going but the vocal sounds like a slightly dodgy live performance and the backing vocals don’t gel with the lead vocal. Great musicianship displayed, however. ‘Human Impact’ is an enjoyable punkish-angst track with a great bassline which slightly overshadows the vocals, and powerful drums ramp up the energy. Whereas ‘Viper’ doesn’t grab my attention, the vocals much deeper than the rest of the album and not quite sure if this comes naturally. A catchy riff thunders through though.
‘Track of the album has to be ‘Maiden’: but… wait… this is a bluesy affair… have I switched channels? A lush guitar opens, and the style of vocals seems to come much easier (though the vocalist still adds an element of the theatrical to throw me) and passion is injected into the lyrics. ‘Era Horizon’ is a happy close to the album though I’m not sure if this is because I know the end is near.
I have real mixed feelings about this album, but my main feedback is that it doesn’t seem coherent or cohesive. Are they trying out different sounds and styles or just cannot decide what their particular style is? I’m always happy to try something new and if you’re like me give it a play and let me know what you think.
- ‘Silent Water’ is released tomorrow (Friday 20 March). You can get your copy HERE.
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