I think it’s a good rule of thumb to assume if some band has their album art done by Adam “Nightjar” Burke, it’s going to be at least a good album. While that could be an exaggeration, I’ve yet to see a bad record with album art made by that man, so that’s a good track record, right? Anyway, Wills Dissolve hit us up last year with their second album, Echoes. I speak of the album art because that’s what drew me to listen, in all honesty. I guess I was also fortunate to start listening to the record without any kind of ideas; I entered in a tabula rasa kind of mindset. I was pleasantly surprised at the end of the trip.
Echoes is a brisk journey too. It’s practically one song that spans a solid half-hour. I always had something of a soft spot for albums that do it all in one song. I think that also ties in with my bias related to liking records that are made as unitary wholes, rather than a disjointed mass of ideas. Although, even setting aside my penchant for these characteristics, I found myself enjoying the tunes very much.
The songwriting here is undoubtedly a sign of creative promise from these guys. Things are balanced neatly, while not being mired in gimmicks or attempting to go over the top just for the sake of doing it, without any foresight for execution. Everything is delivered aptly, albeit, the production quality left plenty to desire – especially for my exigent standards. Although, I wouldn’t say it’s outright bad in any particular way, it’s just that it needs to improve in order to at least match the level of the exposed ideas.
The dynamic of Echoes is satisfying and engaging, there’s a neat pacing between the aggressive and the softer elements and the transitions between them are executed with good taste. I can’t say I was blown away with anything pertaining to the riffs, or the leads, or really any element in particular. Everything seems to be solid, although no individual idea seems to elevate itself above a certain threshold. This also isn’t something to decry in any way.
We’re talking about a band with just six years of activity under their belt and only two records. They have plenty of time to refine their sound. They also have plenty of time to improve on every aspect, which is definitely an aspect to look forward to, as they’re quite a promising bunch and I’m personally excited to see where they head to next.
If you’re a fan of prog-death, you can definitely get a few kicks out of the record, although I’m not sure that fans of other areas of metal will have the patience or palate for it, but it doesn’t hurt to try – it’s only half an hour. Go check it out right now, maybe you’ll like it at least as much as I did.
