Once again Finland has shown us that she is the home of some of the
best metal in the world. Shear’s earlier EP “In Solitude” really impressed
me with its decisively heavy yet melodic and catchy songs, and left
me anxiously waiting to see what this band could do with a full album.
“Breaking The Stillness” really exceeded my hopes and expectations.
The songs are masterfully created by musicians with a lot experience
behind them who obviously have learned a lot about composing along
the way, as well as developed exceptional playing skills, executing
each song with digital precision.
The instrumental parts are written by guitarists Mikael Grönroos
and Lauri Koskenniemi, and keyboardist Lari Sorvo, who also shares
the lyric writing with singer Alexa Leroux. The lyrics definitely
lean to the darker side, and Alexa maximizes their impact. The keyboards
are fabulous, and they play a big part in the atmosphere of the songs,
but they’re not as predominant as you would find in many of the more
symphonic sounding bands. The guitars are from metal hell and their
parts are written incredibly well. The guitar solos are very creative
and they tell a story of their own, boosted by the complimentary instrumentation
behind them. In other words, you’re not just hearing a guitar solo,
but a whole composition on its own within the greater song.
Vocalist Alexa Leroux is explosive on this album. She was impressive
on the “In Solitude” EP, but she really pulls out all the stops here,
and shows us what she’s capable of. I much prefer rock style vocals
over opera style, and Alexa certainly has the pipes required to rock
over the very heavy instruments. It’s going to sound like I’m just
gushing, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard so much passion and emotion
from a singer before (maybe Rebecca Spinks of The Mariana Hollow).
Not only is this is prevalent in her high soaring passages, it also
comes through very much when she dives down to her silky lower notes
where she really gave me goose bumps. At times I feel she may have
pushed her limits a little too much, and she may have been better
off holding back a bit to get a smoother delivery. But overall, she’s
very impressive. Alexa also writes all of the vocal melodies which
are hugely responsible for the powerful feelings generated by the
songs.
The songs themselves are just thrilling, with so many ups and downs,
sudden guitar assaults, great timing, and Alexa’s amazing vocal melodies.
“Redemption Awaits” is one of the darker and more complex songs on
the album. The guitar and vocal lines almost have a jazz like sophistication
to them and the guitar solo on this song is mind blowing! There is
a brief switch to acoustic guitar during the bridge and I’d be interested
to see how the band pulls this off live. “Wounded” is the most powerful
song emotionally for me, and especially when Alexa hits those lower
notes, and then soars so high, accompanied by very stirring keys and
guitars. “Stillness” is the closest thing to a ballad that you’ll
find on the album, but it still has some pretty heavy elements along
with a really gorgeous chorus. The album closer “Be Here Now” is another
song with almost a jazz like quality at some points, and has some
exciting changes in tempo.
Really every song on this album is a winner. The band has created
very powerful songs using a successful mix of melodic metal, hard
rock and catchy vocals. The composition and playing skills of this
band are outstanding, and this album will definitely be a favorite
of mine for a long time. I really hope a lot of people get the chance
to hear this. After producing such a great album, the band needs to
work hard now to promote it, because I know anyone who hears it will
love it and the band will gain a lot of fans! 9/10 easy.
Websites:
http://www.shearofficial.com
http://www.facebook.com/ShearOfficial
http://www.myspace.com/shearofficial
© 2012 John Davies
