Reviews: Rendezvous Point, Seven Spires, The Mysterines, Sons Of Arrakis (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Rendezvous Point - Dream Chaser (Long Branch)

Norway keeps giving the world emotionally resonant, musically impressive and forward thinking progressive music, similar to fellow Norwegians Leprous, Dødheimsgard, Borknagar and of course Ihsahn, Rendezvous Point have been part of this group of musicians push boundaries with their sound. Based around drummer Baard Kolstad, who is also a member of Leprous, Rendezvous Point have that strong rhythmic backing as their countrymen, while also taking the introspective moments of both Leprous and Soen, putting them against some striking, synth heavy, ultra-modern prog metal.

Dream Chaser is their third album and it’s those parping EDM synths of Tangen Svennæs (Ihsahn) who creates the main melodies over the throbbing rhythms from guitarist Petter Hallaråker and bass player Gunn-Hilde Erstad on first track Don’t Look Up. An opener full of groove that got my hips moving, but the pre-chorus/chorus has that melancholic vocal from Geirmund Hansen, the pace and soundscape adapting as it goes on, that synth refrain turning into a shimmer behind the more riff driven Oslo Syndrome, a track that isn’t even prog, it’s telling that the band wanted to write more focussed and concise tracks with this third album, going towards a more radio friendly rock sound.

With a slinky solo in the middle of it and hooky chorus, prog nerds have to wait until Utopia for some jazzy rhythms and quirky playing. The keys are important to this album as major melodic element, as is Baard’s widescreen drumming on Utopia for instance. Personal lyrics and societal struggles occupy the lyrics, which is why there’s melancholy and catharsis when a track such as Fireflies builds with a slow burn towards a euphoric chorus and a keyboard solo, the mood kept gloomy and reflective on Presence, which has a echoed quality to it single note guitars airily drifting in the background until the distorted riff comes back.

With Wildflower adding some Peter Gabriel layers and The Tormented giving you the heavy quotient Dream Chaser successfully takes Rendezvous Point into their next era as a band. 9/10

Seven Spires - A Fortress Called Home (Frontiers Music Srl)

The fourth record from melodeath/power/symphonic/black metal band Seven Spires is their most accomplished to date. Skillfully mixing their signature sound perfectly for the most aggressive, intoxicating album they've created. The follow up to 2021's Gods Of Debauchery, it's the culmination of a long term touring schedule with recent support slots to Eluveitie, Twilight Force, DragonForce, Kamelot and many more. The Denver based band have channelled this unstoppable touring schedule into this new record, focussing on harnessing not only their live synchronicity but their technical virtuosity and massive hooks. 

After the introduction what we get is an album of gothic romance, self empowerment and personal study but delivered in the hybrid/conceptual sound of Seven Spires, if Meat Loaf was power metal or Disney was death metal then tracks such as Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues a duet with David Åkesson or the poppy Almosttown would fit right in, the first more of duet while the second shows the full range of front woman Adrianne Cowan, be it her soaring soprano or her black metal squawks and everything in between. There's a reason why she has become an integral part of Avantasia live and this album draws a lot of the bombastic influences from Tobias Sammet's rock opera, including some backing vocals from Angelica Sandnes Åkesson.

As you would expect from a band who formed from the Berklee College Of Music alumni, it's ridiculously technical, the bass from Peter de Reyna is especially great, drawn from the jazz expressionism, the little flourishes are strewn throughout, especially on Portrait Of Us and No Place For Us. Though Jack Kosto's guitar playing and production is also magnificent, he not only plays up a storm with lightspeed shreddingo/melodic leads on No Place For Us but also gives drama to tracks such as Where Sorrows Bear My Name and melody and emotion to the mega ballad Emerald Necklace. A Fortress Called Home is the final album with drummer Chris Dovas behind the kit but he absolutely explodes on tracks such as the operatic Love's Souvenir or Architects Of Creation.

Inspired by the Romantic-era, there's full use of an orchestra, I even hear some harpsichord and other instruments that come from that period. I guess you could call Seven Spires "Bridgerton Metal" (I want credit if other people start using this) as A Fortress Called Home puts evocative orchestral soundscapes with a myriad of metallic flourishes. Fantastic! 9/10

The Mysterines – Afraid Of Tomorrows (Fiction Records)

Sometimes seclusion is what a band needs to tap into their most creative side. Fresh from supporting Arctic Monkeys in arenas, the Merseyside foursome known as The Mysterines purposefully recorded their latest album in the countryside along with producer John Congleton (St Vincent) to make sure they could focus on what they wanted to say, to redefine and solidify who or what The Mysterines are. Inspired by trauma, love unbounded, addiction “but ultimately a desire for life” Afraid Of Tomorrows has the band at their rawest and open.

The jangly The Last Dance starts the record with some moody, regret filled garage fuzz, Callum Thompson’s guitar sound hard on the ears but that’s the point. The Mysterines are going abrasive, hazy and fuzz drenched with a steady bass walk from George Favager on Stray. As the album continues there’s lots of musical experimentation, be it repeating electronic drum patterns, angular guitar riffs, new wave grooves, post rock experimentation and indie darling rock explosions.

The constant though is Lia Metcalfe’s breathy, lackadaisical, drawl, though she adds some clarity to Hawkmoon, a short moment of stripped back beauty. Then we’re back to attitude and distorted riffs on Sink Ya Teeth, propelled by Paul Crilly’s impressive drumming, whether it’s in the more naturalistic tone or the mechanical beats of Goodbye Sunshine. Alongside the Grammy winning producer, The Mysterines have produced an album that uses its core song writing talent as jumping off point for audio alchemy.

Afraid Of Tomorrows uses modern production techniques, genre bending and a whole host of effects to create unique sounding songs. However it never forgets the core principal of hook driven rock music. 7/10

Sons Of Arrakis - Volume II (Black Throne Productions)

Grab your Sandworm popcorn bucket (just wash it first) and settle in for another selection of spice flecked cuts from Frank Herbert's Dune novels. Yes its Volume II the second album from Canadian desert rockers Sons Of Arrakis, get it desert rock, Dune? See? Anyway yes SoA are a desert rock/doom/stoner band who pack their songs with chunky riffs, slinky leads and great vocals. As well as Herbert’s sci-fi epic they also write songs inspired by the likes of Dostoyevsky, Chekhov, Camus, Gary, Sartre, and Lovecraft, so well read, heavy riffing is the name of the game and on Volume II they build on what they did with Volume I but make it better, like any good sequel (though in Dune’s case maybe stop at book 2).

As this is journeyman music, fit for travelling in a Bedouin caravan, it means that they're masters of the build and release on tracks such as High Handed Enemy, elongated psychedelic sci-fi rock tracks, that have layers of QOTSA/Sabbath/Sleep like cinematics. Frédéric Couture has those hazy, melodic vocals and starts these songs with an acoustic guitar, before switching to an electric and then brining in the rest of the band. Joining on guitar is Francis Duchesne, who also plays organs/keys, Victor Lepage adds the low end groove to Beyond The Screen Of Illusion which has some tasty dual harmonies, the shifts in pace given a rudder by Mathieu Racine’s drums.

Volume II though is a guitar player’s record, the six string synergy can be heard on every track, from the psychedelic journeys, doom crawls and stoner bounces it’s a tribute to the mighty power of the riff. SoA remind me of Aussies Dr Colossus who in turn remind me of Sleep, now if we could get a tour between the Canadians and the Australians in the UK, that would be great. Play loud enough to attract Shai-Hulud. 9/10