Artist: Symphony Cult
   Title: Rewind To Fast Forward
   Label: Copro Records
 

This year there have been a vast number of new bands that have grabbed our attentions here at The Mayfair Mall Zine, all young bands with the potential to go all the way in this business if the breaks go their way and another band to add to this list is London’s Symphony Cult.

My first taste of the band came on their support slot for Fozzy at Middlesborough’s Empire, where I was totally blown away by the band, especially the bands overall sound on that night as vocalist Charlotte Lubbock, John Lovell, Ben Lloyd, Jack Slade and Barney Cushman once again showed that Britain can be a haven for new and exciting rock talent if you're willing to go out and give it a chance.

So on to the bands debut release ‘Rewind To Fast Forward’, after hearing some of the songs live I couldn’t wait to hear if the full album was able to deliver the goods, and believe me, I wasn’t disappointed with what I heard.

The album opens up with ‘You’ and instantly you're drawn into a mêlée of chunky bass lines, tuned down guitars and a tenacious drum beat that leads the way in the haunting melodies of Lubbock’s fantastic vocals.  The track then levels out as Lubbock’s vocals take centre stage while the rest of the band deliver a massive backing track of great guitar hooks and a huge rhythm section.

The album continues in similar vein with ‘Unspoken’ with Lovell adding backing vocals to Lubbock’s towering melodies with the rest of the guys adding some fine musicianship to the songs. Again featuring a truly tremendous powerhouse drum beat from Slade and an equally fine bass barrage from Lloyd.  This definitely ranks as one of the finest songs on the album.

Things continue with the heavier vibe of ‘This Devastation’, but it's not so heavy as to drown out the fantastic vocals which just tower above it all.  A real taste of modern metal here.  The tempo is brought down just a touch with the fantastic ‘Breaking Free’, a track stuffed to the brim of haunting melodies and great guitar hooks.

Another of my many favourites off the album has to be ‘Confess’, where the tempo is picked up again and the heavier bass lines return, both in perfect balance so as not to deter from the superb vocal presence.

The band manage to keep the listener hooked as the album sways from the heavy back beats mixed with haunting and towering vocals, as the album continues with ‘Under The Lights’ and the almost folk metal tones ‘On Your High Horse’, before really bringing the tempo down with the mystical and moody tones of ‘The Riddle’.

It's back to the heady bass lines for ‘Speak’, the excellent ‘The Answer In My Eyes’ and even more so on the thumping ‘Goodbye And Goodnight’, all before the album closes off with another favourite of mine, the rip snorting ‘Until Tomorrow’, which wraps up a great debut from a band with a big future.  I would highly recommend you check out not only the bands album but also their live show because these guys have a big, big sound that will just blow you away.

Tracklisting:

1. You
2. Unspoken
3. This Devastation
4. Breaking Free
5. Confess
6. Under The Lights
7. On Your High Horse
8. The Riddle
9. Speak
10. The Answer In My Eyes
11. Goodbye And Goodnight
12. Until Tomorrow 

                  

 

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