Alaric's upcoming self-titled debut opens with "Eyes", creating a chilling atmosphere with thoroughly reverb-soaked acoustic guitars that later segues into depressingly-moaned post-punk. At first, the music seems somewhat simple, but the soundscape soon fills in with layers of vocals, guitar chords with an often harmonically charged bass component, and a beautifully organic drum kit.
"Your God" utilizes a more straight-forward guitar riff approach, later culminating in palm-muted tremolo. Guitar feedback and sound effects add an eerie dimension to the otherwise standard band sound. It's refreshing to hear the guitars and bass often playing unique parts and maintaining an organic, unedited sound. The production as a whole evokes a live feel that sounds natural and clear, letting the individual instruments shine through the mix without mud.
Alaric is a promising debut that, as a whole, does get sonically stale after a while as the music doesn't progress far from the initial sound, yet shows a band that is capable of creating a well-produced and enjoyable album. It would be great to see Alaric employ more diversity in the songwriting with upcoming albums.
Track Listing
1. Eyes
2. Ugly Crowds
3. Your God
4. Alone
5. Tribute
6. Laughter Of The Crows
7. Animal
8. Shadow of Life
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