Something like Alter Bridge and Sevendust? Well…
Evenline take Allan Jones – and you too – into the darkness on 20 January 2017…
The last few years have been eventful for the Parisians. Formed in 2009, they released an EP the year after and a debut album in 2014. They’ve been on tour opening for the likes of Alter Bridge, Seether and so on, so they’re certainly no slouch in the touring department. Arguably, they’re better known in America than in their native homeland (or even the majority of Europe).
They say that their inspiration comes from “the melodic power of Alter Bridge or Papa Roach, the melancholic moods of Staind and Seether or the rhythmic and scenic efficiency of Sevendust” and, in fairness, that’s not a bad summary of what’s on offer here. Think big, crunchy alt-rock guitars just this side of metal, with a vocal style that twists between clean and growling incoherently.
Now, personally, I’m not a huge fan of incoherently grunted vocals, but they’re done well here, and I’m pretty much in the minority on despising them. It’s probably because when I try to sing like that I sound like the cookie monster, so feel free to chalk it up to jealousy. I suppose it just irritates me that when someone can sing – and Arnaud Gueziec can really wail very well indeed – that they then resort to barking like a dog instead. I just don’t get it.
On the other hand, the drum and basslines give plenty of support for some very crisp guitar work indeed, and the overall effect is pretty decent. The downside is that it’s very difficult to distinguish yourself within the constraints that they’ve set themselves – this genre’s been around for long enough that it’s become almost a cliché of itself, and comparing yourself to the likes of Alter Bridge and Sevendust is really setting yourself up for a fall when you don’t have the same originality on offer.
That’s not to say that this is a bad album, not by any means. It’s merely that you wouldn’t listen to it over the likes of the bands that they’ve name-dropped themselves. It doesn’t really do enough for me to elevate it above many of their peers, so while it’s by no means a bad album, it’s not one that stands out from the pack either.
6 out of 10
Track list:
- All Against Me
- Straitjacket
- Silene Capensis
- Echoes Of Silence
- Sometimes We Die
- Broken Promises
- Never There
- Deeper Underground
- From The Ashes
- Wasted Years
