Reaper In Sicily

Islands

Written by: PP on 03/10/2013 22:24:05

Okay, stop for a second and imagine what it might sound like if you took the anthemic emotive alternative rock expression of Anberlin, made it a notch rawer and more unpolished in its expression, and laid it above a turbocharged version of Saosin from circa their self-titled album era when Cove Reber was still their lead vocalists? That's the best I can come up with to describe Reaper In Sicily from Aberdare, UK and their debut album "Islands" that dropped a few months ago.

Basically, the band fuses together alternative rock and high-octane post-hardcore seamlessly, often swinging between the two styles from song to song. Many tracks rely on a classic clean/scream dynamic, where the screams in particular should bring to mind Silverstein and the cleans Cove Reber's strained, high-pitched delivery, all laid above dynamic, high tempo instrumentation that certainly draws quite a bit from the punk scene (much like Silverstein). At the same time, the level of anthemic melodies suggests an alternative rock platform, even if the screams might defy that on occasion, which makes the clean parts of the songs very catchy indeed. Still, the best part of the record is the clean vocalist whose vocal style carries plenty more character and charisma than the rest of the band put together, who otherwise put on a fine, if somewhat arbitrary performance by the book in these genres. It is namely his vocal melodies that elevate Reaper In Sicily from an average post-hardcore band into something a little more interesting, especially because the songs are more fast-paced than what is usual for this genre.

"Islands" is by no means a groundbreaking album - in fact it is quite standard within the genre - but it's nonetheless a decent listen if you're into the mid 2000s emo/post-hardcore scene in particular. It's a little less pretentious in its mood from what's being put out by their contemporaries, and that's always a bonus in my book.

7

Download: 50, Down But Not Out, Chuck Norris Got A Chainsaw
For the fans of: Saosin, Silverstein, Anberlin
Listen: Facebook

Release date 10.06.2013
Self-Released

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