Deathwhite : "Solitary Martyr"

Invisible Oranges says these guys are not metal, but I suppose that depends on how you define metal, they are about heavy as"Viva Emptiness" era Katatonia , which I though was metal. The way they chug into some of the chords is metallic. Maybe its the fact they use clean vocals, but if you are a regular reader here you know we hold clean vocals into much higher regard around here than some of the other blogs I write for. These guys could have come out in the early 2000s for sure. They also jump back and forth from clean guitar tones to distorted ones. "Suffer Abandonment" is generally not as heavy as the opener and the harmonies put the Katatonia influence on their sleeves. The pick up the pace, but the vocals get slightly poppier. The bass is more audible on this song which is plus and by the second song I'm still a little mixed about them , but hopeful. This is heavier than Katatonia's last album, but not some of the lower tuned stuff of "Night is the New Day".

"Vein" has more groove and then drops down into acoustic guitar which I was not expecting. They step away from the Katatonia moodiness and its almost prog until the big chorus comes up. I can see why they are called "dark Pop" here but the fact they have real guitars makes them more dark rock. Dark pop is more like Twin Shadow or Karin Park. Since we listen to actual pop music that is dark here take our word for it. The drummer has some chops as he takes a few fills around the break down. The title track is upbeat, like radio rock in some ways think Breaking Benjamin if they were more creative. Though the hook isn't as sharp as you would assume it would be .

There is a more deliberate pound from the bass on "Only Imagined" . It slows down not like doom , but a reflective power ballad diving into a depressive swing. The guitar is catchy here and I like the bass playing on this song. The singer has a clear plaintive voice that has a little more power than Jonas, though he is not as creative in his placement.By the album for what it is it succeeds , I suppose if you are drawing influence from Katatonia its a good place to start. It wins me over by the end , it's heavier than Ghost that's for sure, I'll give it a 9.