The Federation – Towards The Sun
Self-Released
Release Date: 29/05/22
Running Time: 41:01
Review by Simon Black
8/10
It’s moments like this that make this game worthwhile you know.
As a slightly older chap, I’m highly conscious about how easy it is for people to get very set in their ways about their music tastes. Generally, most of us get exposed to the most variety of music influences in our mid to late teens, then start to focus a bit, but our tastes tend to only truly crystallise in our early twenties. After this, for many people, those tastes tend to then become fairly fixed – which is why older bands always have a guaranteed audience and newer ones have an uphill struggle influencing older folks in their direction. That’s sort of the reason I came back to reviewing after a long break, because I was conscious that this was happening to me too, unless an unexpected support slot blew a new band wide open for me and the best part of this gig is that I literally get the chance to listen to several hundred new bands every year that I would not otherwise have come across.
The Federation, hailing from somewhere in deepest, darkest Norway aren’t strictly a new band, as this is their second album, but “Towards The Sun” is a subtle change of direction for them, moving away from the more Heavy Rock sound of their 2020 debut “Hungry Sleep” into a way more Modern Metal direction. If you compare the two, it doesn’t feel like the same band at all.
There’s also a crisply precise rhythm section pounding away in here as well, that is a million miles away from the slightly looser feeling debut, but where this really steps up to the plate for me is in the crisply technical precision that’s going on in general instrumentally. There’s an almost Progressive edge here, with subtle melodic flows, twists and time changes that simultaneously make perfect sense while catching you on the hop, and I can see them working brilliantly live.
And then there’s the vocals, because these are really the icing on this cake of brutal technical delivery, with an entrancing, charismatic and utterly effective performance from Magnus Helmersen, who although he always had a gruffer edge on that debut record, here’s he’s mixing that up with a predominantly cleaner sound, to the point when I really wondered if it was the same person. But in terms of capturing your attention, it’s a whole lot more effective. Highlights include ‘Fear of Death’, the relentlessly nod-along banger ‘Rumble’ and the crisp and punchy title track.
Yes, it’s moments like this, that are the ones that make that slog worthwhile – finding something new, that really makes you stop and listen. More please.
‘By The River’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Black Fortress
02. Fear of Death
03. Life of The Fallen
04. Rumble
05. Towards The Sun
06. Sacred
07. Sin
08. Silence The Leader
09. Reign of The Toxic King
LINE-UP:
Magnus Helmersen – Vocals
Thomas Aarsund Strand – Lead Guitar
Pål Vegar Leth-Olsen – Rythm Guitar
Ørjan Vingen – Bass
Robert “Red Max” Myrhaug – Drums
LINKS:
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