From The Depth – Moments
Rockshots Records
Release Date: 28/08/2020
Running Time: 48:44
Review by Beth Jones
8/10
Many things in life give me pleasure – I’m a cheerful soul like that – but music is top of the list every time. So, the volume of awesomeness that is popping up in the various scenes around the world currently makes Beth a happy girl indeed! And if there’s one thing that makes me exceedingly happy, it’s a good dose of Power Metal. It’s impossible to be angry when listening to it, I find! Pacey rhythms, face-melting guitar solos, and powerful harmonies are a match made in heaven/hell/nirvana/eutopia/the pub/other (delete as appropriate to indicate ‘happy place’ preference).
So, as you can imagine, I’m rather enjoying “Moments”, the upcoming release from Italian Power Metallers, From The Depth. The path, since forming in 2008 as a Power Metal covers band, has been turbulent for these guys, and it has been 6 years since they released their last EP, “Perseverance”. This new full-length album explores some of those ‘moments’ in their lives and in the history of the band.
Musically, this has got everything you would expect from Power Metal. It’s punchy and thunderous from the get-go. It melds string sections and ethereal synth and keys, with thumping crunchy riffs and plenty of bass, and sits clean vocals and harmonies nicely on top of everything else. Structurally, the songs explore rhythm and key change sections in a very pleasing way, exploring major and minor cadences and creating unexpected chord progressions and resolutions. It’s musically clever, and I like that. These guys have spent a lot of time thinking about how these songs all fit together, and how each component of every song sits within the sound.
They’re also very technically skilled with their instruments – the guitar solo in ‘Missed’ shows this off perfectly. Production wise, it’s pretty hot too. It’s not as diverse with the placing of instruments as some of the recent stuff I’ve been listening to, but then, it’s Power Metal – it’s supposed to hit you straight in the face, right?!
My favourite track on the album is the final track, ‘Somewhere’. It has a real change in pace from the rest, being a ballad. But it soars, and Raffo’s vocals are incredible on it. His tone is beautifully rich, and his range is ridiculous. His journey from lower, exquisite tenor tones, to off the scale falsetto is insane! As a vocalist, it fills me with joy and envy in equal measures. It’s an incredibly powerful and cinematic song, and brings the album to a very tidy close.
While this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and is very much rooted in standard Power Metal boots, “Moments” is heartfelt and refined, and well worth a listen.
TRACKLISTING
01. Immortal
02. Spread Your Wings
03. Ten Years
04. Streets of Memory
05. Hypnos
06. Forget And Survive
07. Just Ice
08. Missed
09. A Matter of Time
10. Somewhere
LINE-UP
Raffo – Vocals
Santo – Bass
Jump – Guitar
Simone – Guitar
Cristiano – Drums
LINKS
www.fromthedepth.it/
www.facebook.com/fromthedepthband
www.twitter.com/officialftd
www.instagram.com/fromthedepthband
www.youtube.com/user/FromTheDepthOfficial
www.open.spotify.com/artist/6JfcvrXjV5ED87KSbGELqc
www.music.apple.com/us/artist/from-the-depth/467056211
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.