Akord - Carry The Sound
Release: May 2013
Top Track: 'Light the Way' or 'This Day'
Release: May 2013
Top Track: 'Light the Way' or 'This Day'
Imagine a brick.
A brick packed full of riffs, 6 string bass, excellent drum fills, weird noises and bizarre time signatures.
Now imagine being hit in the face with this brick.
Now you can appreciate what Akord have created with their 'Carry the Sound' EP.
On first listen, you can tell straight away that time was taken, and they really have put their blood, sweat, tears and who know's what else into making the finest record they could.
Most local EP's I've heard have really poor production quality; Akord were clever and recruited Nick Scholey to do all the dirty work here - mighty fine decision. You can tell they worked hard, every part of every song is interesting and well thought out.
The 5 Track EP is inventive, technically fascinating and really pushes the boundaries of genre definition. Which box do we slot this record into? I'll have to get back to you on that....
Opening track 'Houdini' is a mash of full heavy guitars, stomping drums and smooth vocals. Sandy sings in very laid-back manner, with effortless harmonies which completely contrasts the voluminous guitars which really fill your ears. There are so many layers to this song, and is best appreciated with a good set of headphones.
2:11 - The section hits you like a fecking tidal wave of sound and vivacity. Listen loud.
The song is a tale of sorts, it has a protagonist, whomever that may be, who we are told all about and it leaves you wanting more. Like any good story should.
'This Day' I. Love. The. Start. Of. This. Song. This intro sounds as though you should be listening to it whilst floating through space. Definitely Death Star elevator music. It's stompy, hard hitting and has an excellent chorus melody. I love it; they seem to manage to create pretty epic, intense thought provoking music. You can hear the Karnivool influence in this track, but they still have something wonderfully unique.
2:40 onwards has a beautiful section of vocal work followed by a wall of guitars you can't ignore. It's heavy, exciting and leaves you wanting soooo much more!
Probably my favourite track on the record, if I HAD to pick, is 'Light the Way (+Indifference)'. I was lucky enough to hear the first edit of it, and it made me well up. I don't know why, it's not something I can put my finger on, it just has an energy to it that works for me. Vocally, maybe not the strongest but has some amazing parts; listen out for the inflection in his voice right on the last word of the song - stunning.
The start is calm, lying on a beach sort of calm, but no wait, it all kicks in and it's time to pack up the towel and stomp away. This song is a bloody journey from start to finish. Even though it's called 'Light' the Way, I feel, musically, it gets a bit darker as the song progresses; more intense. The premise of the song is relate-able 'No wrong, no right, it's just a choice of path'. A journey of a song, about the journey of life..
2:55 pretty epic section, including a party beat. A PARTY BEAT. I love a good one of those.
4:10 a quiet section, drums akin to a heartbeat.
Hooked onto the end of this song is a segue to the next track. A short, exciting piece of music that includes guest drumming from Robbie Mackie of Fonik and producer Nick Scholey. I'm not going to say much about it as it really speaks for itself.
'Set In Your Life' booms on next, and what a track. This was Akord's debut single, which allowed them to storm their way to the winners spot of the Kerrang! Big Audition competition.
I've already reviewed the single, so you can enjoy it by clicking here.
Rounding off this record is 'Carry The Sound'; the track that is currently allowing them to be in the finals of the Red Bull Studios competition to win a slot at Download Festival. What a way to finish the record, this song has so much bloody emotion in it it's crazy. Sandy's vocals are superb and Arran manages to make his guitar fecking cry at one point I swear to god (4:55).
This song has something for everyone, sing-along-to melodies, gang vocals, crazy time signatures, mad guitar effects. You will most likely hear something new every time.
A bit of a work of art this song. Wouldn't you agree?
In the words of Johnny Doom 'They sure know how to write an epic'
That they bloody well do.
My biggest critisism is that it wasn't long enough. Really looking forward to the next one.
H x
'This Day' I. Love. The. Start. Of. This. Song. This intro sounds as though you should be listening to it whilst floating through space. Definitely Death Star elevator music. It's stompy, hard hitting and has an excellent chorus melody. I love it; they seem to manage to create pretty epic, intense thought provoking music. You can hear the Karnivool influence in this track, but they still have something wonderfully unique.
2:40 onwards has a beautiful section of vocal work followed by a wall of guitars you can't ignore. It's heavy, exciting and leaves you wanting soooo much more!
Probably my favourite track on the record, if I HAD to pick, is 'Light the Way (+Indifference)'. I was lucky enough to hear the first edit of it, and it made me well up. I don't know why, it's not something I can put my finger on, it just has an energy to it that works for me. Vocally, maybe not the strongest but has some amazing parts; listen out for the inflection in his voice right on the last word of the song - stunning.
The start is calm, lying on a beach sort of calm, but no wait, it all kicks in and it's time to pack up the towel and stomp away. This song is a bloody journey from start to finish. Even though it's called 'Light' the Way, I feel, musically, it gets a bit darker as the song progresses; more intense. The premise of the song is relate-able 'No wrong, no right, it's just a choice of path'. A journey of a song, about the journey of life..
2:55 pretty epic section, including a party beat. A PARTY BEAT. I love a good one of those.
4:10 a quiet section, drums akin to a heartbeat.
Hooked onto the end of this song is a segue to the next track. A short, exciting piece of music that includes guest drumming from Robbie Mackie of Fonik and producer Nick Scholey. I'm not going to say much about it as it really speaks for itself.
'Set In Your Life' booms on next, and what a track. This was Akord's debut single, which allowed them to storm their way to the winners spot of the Kerrang! Big Audition competition.
I've already reviewed the single, so you can enjoy it by clicking here.
Rounding off this record is 'Carry The Sound'; the track that is currently allowing them to be in the finals of the Red Bull Studios competition to win a slot at Download Festival. What a way to finish the record, this song has so much bloody emotion in it it's crazy. Sandy's vocals are superb and Arran manages to make his guitar fecking cry at one point I swear to god (4:55).
This song has something for everyone, sing-along-to melodies, gang vocals, crazy time signatures, mad guitar effects. You will most likely hear something new every time.
A bit of a work of art this song. Wouldn't you agree?
In the words of Johnny Doom 'They sure know how to write an epic'
That they bloody well do.
My biggest critisism is that it wasn't long enough. Really looking forward to the next one.
 |
| 5/5 |
H x
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