Rating: ***1/2
When I think of progressive rock, Washington DC isn't the first place that pops in my head. That said, the band Brave has been making waves in that particular scene for many years now and have just released a brand new full-length album called "the calm | the storm" that dares to push the envelope further than ever before.
Brave has opened for a bunch of amazing metal bands and members of Brave even moonlight in other DC metal bands. Progressive metal happens to be a genre I adore, so I have to say that I can't wait to see what this album is all about.
You can listen to the whole thing along with me on Spotify by clicking the link provided below. I'll then give my thoughts and you can see if you agree with them or not. I like this system. Be sure to leave a comment below!
Listen to "calm | the storm" in its entirety on Spotify by clicking here.
"I Will Wait" starts us off and it's very Evanescence. Lead vocalist, Michelle Schrotz nails the Tori Amos-in-a-metal-band vibe and the song itself is an epic journey while still staying catchy. Track two is called "Mystery" and it has more of a Queensryche energy about it. Definitely leaning more commercial hard rock on this one. Solid track. "A Thousand Miles of Sand" slows things down a bit and it's a good sound for them. This kind of melody is a perfect fit for the vocals of Schrotz. "No Gravity" is a pretty if forgetable instrumental and "Summertime" is an 80's-sounding rock jam that didn't do much for me either. "Bay Song" however is pretty amazing. Lovely vocals and honest lyrics make this one soar. "Race to the End" is equally strong in a totally different way. Stripped down musically, it's a really nice change-of-pace as it trudges along on the strength of power metal vocals. "November" is track eight and it's a strong ballad. Really well-sung. "Electric Ravens" is my favorite title on the album, but the song itself is only okay for me. Let's see if we can finish this one strong. "Feel the Rain" does just that. A mix of rock and slow blues, this one definitely leaves you feeling like you've reached the end of a pretty epic adventure.
Overall, I enjoyed the majority of this record. Even the weaker tracks have something I liked about them. It's far from perfect, but it's still damn solid. I recommend this one to fans of Evanescence. A really good record.