Midas Fall : " Cold Waves Divide Us"

 A big fan of their 2015 album "The Menagerie Inside"  despite building a bigger buzz with their 2018 album it somehow flew under the radar for me, after hearing the chilling brilliance of their new album "Cold Waves Divide Us" I might need to go back and give it a listen. Elizabeth Heaton's vocals are powerfully emotive. The underlying brooding of "I Am Wrong" is counterbalanced by the sparkling atmosphere. The guitar tones are out of this world, as this album is perfectly produced. The Scottish band falls somewhere between post-rock and progressive rock. Unlike what most commonly gets depicted as a progressive rock there is not an abundance of odd time signatures or guitar solos.  

They can summon heavy punches thanks to the stellar drumming, but this is not a metal band of any kind. If "Salt" was played on piano it would feel more like Tori Amos, particularly in how she lets her vocal lines wander. Sometimes things wander beyond the scope of the song as "In this Avalanche" becomes obscured by its cloudy vision. The drums are certainly needed to keep focus as proven in "Point of Diminishing Return". They lay the ambiance on thick but things keep moving. They do this without the vocals being a focus. 

"Monsters" is pretty much a ballad. Not even a power ballad though it does build up into something more sonic. They continue to float further into an icy wonderland on "Atrophy" which showcases her upper register though as a song it drifts a bit. Her voice is powerful, but I think they are not using all of their tools here. It is not until the title track that the stormy rock dynamics kick back in. Even then they do so in a more flowing manner and never drop the hammer to the fullest extent. This gives things a more jammy feel. "Little Wooden Boxes" is marginally more grounded. The last song finds the band doubling down on the atmosphere, while the subtle pulse of the song fights for your attention. It took another listen for this song to sink in with me, and I think the album as a whole is going to follow similar suit though it is apparent their singer is a force to be reckoned with. I  will give this album a 9, just off my first impression. 

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