First review in a goodly number of months. Time for something a little bit more relaxed this time...
We should note that whilst various media outlets would have you believe that VFTF are somehow 'metalcore', they only rarely venture into metal territory. It's more apt to liken them to post rock / post metal. Odyssey is a disc I would most liken to Exit Ten's second disc, 'Give Me Infinity', and it will appeal to people looking to fill that Reading-shaped void in their lives.
The most obvious thing people will know about this band is Ashe, and most of those from his time in TesseracT. It shouldn't come as a surprise that his vocal work here is more of the same, although that can never be a criticism due to his voice being sublime (rumour has it Ashe is also doing a collaboration with Ben from Enochian Theory; this should excite you very much). It melds very well with the often sparse instrumentation, which for the most part is content to stay in the background supporting the vocal melodies.
We should note that whilst various media outlets would have you believe that VFTF are somehow 'metalcore', they only rarely venture into metal territory. It's more apt to liken them to post rock / post metal. Odyssey is a disc I would most liken to Exit Ten's second disc, 'Give Me Infinity', and it will appeal to people looking to fill that Reading-shaped void in their lives.
The most obvious thing people will know about this band is Ashe, and most of those from his time in TesseracT. It shouldn't come as a surprise that his vocal work here is more of the same, although that can never be a criticism due to his voice being sublime (rumour has it Ashe is also doing a collaboration with Ben from Enochian Theory; this should excite you very much). It melds very well with the often sparse instrumentation, which for the most part is content to stay in the background supporting the vocal melodies.
That's not to say that the band as a whole don't have their moment - second track and lead single 'Inner Child' and the lengthy 'Meteorites' are rooted quite firmly in crunchy, downtuned guitars and aggressive rhythms. But this style of song is definitely in the minority on this disc; tracks such as 'Ortus' and 'Epicinium' are more prevalent by far.
Each song is well constructed with enough hooks to warrant repeat listens. I should also add that this album has the potential to be AOTY 2015 from this chap's point of view.
Each song is well constructed with enough hooks to warrant repeat listens. I should also add that this album has the potential to be AOTY 2015 from this chap's point of view.
10/10
