Whiteabbey – Words That Form The Key
Whiteabbey – The Words That Form The Key
Metalopolis Records
Release Date: 23/02/24
Running Time: 40:49
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8/10
Whiteabbey. Punch that into any search engine and you’ll likely be directed to the Northern Irish coastal town. Which seems fitting as that’s the country where the Symphonic Metal act of the same name are based. Though the band’s history only stretches back to the year 2020, the lockdown years, when online writing sessions and a need to be creative led to the formation of the band as we know it today. The band that is now on the eve of releasing their latest full length effort “The Words That Form The Key”. So, what did I think of it?
Overall, this is very much an enjoyable listen! There’s an undeniable classic Symphonic Metal vibe, much in the style of Within Temptation or Nightwish. This is achieved through some raging guitar leads, especially in ‘Dragonfire’ and ‘Just Hold Me’. In fact, I had to verify that the band only has one guitarist as some can sound very thin when the lead guitarist takes on a solo. Though the backline of the band is able to maintain that depth and the use of synths also helps to fill in that void. This changes in ‘Hold Fast’ however, where the enthralling synth track is the melodic focal point for the song. A wonderful focal point at that! There’s good old fashioned high octane galloping rhythms throughout, again what you’d expect from a Power Metal style album. I found myself tapping my foot along like a power drill to try and match the tempo at one point! I also found myself smiling on occasion as it genuinely was so fun to listen to.
Whiteabbey can be varied compositionally though. Songs such as ‘All In The Past’ and ‘Think Of Me Sometimes’ are very much stripped down and more gentle songs, where it’s either just Tamara and the clean guitars or synths. In fact this would be a good time to turn my attention to the band’s vocalist. Sorry to single you out, Tamara!
She has a wonderful calm and soothing voice throughout. It’s so aesthetic. I just worry that she get’s drowned out sometimes by the relative chaos and volume of the music. In particular during ‘Celtic Curse’. I’m unsure if this is a production issue, or more technical. One is relatively simple to fix, another is much more complex. However, check out ‘Think Of Me Sometimes’. As I mentioned earlier, this a much more calm and stripped back song, one where the blazing guitar solos and pulsating rhythm section take a break. Here, Tamara truly gets the opportunity to shine and demonstrate her undeniable vocal talent. This is easily her strongest performance, which also makes me think that there is a simple production issue that can be easily fixed in the next release. Whether there needs to be more vocal layers or simply to turn the volume up, it’ll be remedied.
I had alluded to the album having an old school/classic Symphonic Metal vibe. A double edged sword really. Fans of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Leaves Eyes will know exactly what they’re getting here. But that’s also the issue. The issue because what’s separating the band from all these others in what is a very stacked field? A question I’ve proposed and one I cannot answer. Though this shouldn’t deter you from checking out Whiteabbey or “The Words That Form The Key” as I’m sure you’ll have a positive listening experience. Just as I did.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Reality
02. Dragonfire
03. Hold Fast
04. Just Hold Me
05. You Should Be Running
06. All In The Past
07. Ireland’s Final Witch
08. Celtic Curse
09. Think Of Me Sometimes
LINE-UP:
Tamara Bouwhuis – vocals
Steve Moore – guitars
Graham McNulty – bass
Badger Duncan – drum
LINKS:
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