Platitude - Nine
|
|
Dark Mind |
| Genre | Progressive Neo-Metal |
Erik Blomkvist
|
Vocals
|
| Tracks | 11 |
Daniel Hall
|
Guitar
|
| Runningtime | 50 Min. |
Gustav Köllerström
|
Guitar
|
| Label | Scarlet Records |
Patrik Jansson
|
Bass
|
| Release | 21 April 2004 |
Marcus Höher
|
Drums
|
| Country | Sweden |
K. Von Wachenfeldt
|
Keyboards
|
|
Andreas Lindahl
|
Keyboards
|
||
| Similar artists | Symphony X, Meduza, Kenziner, Evergrey | ||
With Nine that is the follow-up to the debut Secrets Of Life from Swedish band Platitude has less neo influences and is more progressive but still moving within the frames of melodic hard rock. Nine is heavier, faster and more progressive and the power metal is more or less entirely left behind while they have kept the good melodies in their music and becoming just as much melodic metal as progressive. Really it isn't a change with their music and direction that they have done but more that they has matured as a band and musicians and continued to develop their music.
Even if Platitude features two keyboardists the tracks are just progressive enough to give a complex and mature side to the album, and not enough to break the melody and the 'close-to-AOR' sounds It is an odd move to not include only two guitarists but also two guys on keyboard, and not completely overdoing it, well-balanced and very skilful work with the keys, but why two? Some good "duels" and harmonies but not more than that they can survive with only two. Expected more of guitar and keyboard harmonies with two members on each instrument, although those that are is pretty good, but not more than a band with a "regular" setting. Many bands that only has one keyboardists has more of duelling and harmonies and that raises the question why Platitude doesnt take more advantage of what they got? Platitude avoids falling in to the clichés even though their music isn't groundbreaking, honestly it has all been heard before but not always this well done. Could expect more music travelling when they have the men and the skill that they have, but on the other hand they are holding the music strict and that could sometimes be even better that they doesnt get to much carried away but keeping it together. Great improvement of vocalist Erik Blomkvist, his progression is perhaps the best since their debut with Secrets of Life, he has a solid and melodic voice and he knows his limitations and uses his voice in an excellent way. Imagine a mix of Russell Allen, Jörn Lande Stephen Fredrick ( Kenziner, Firewind, a mid-range soft and melodic yet with a powerful set of pipes.
Nine starts with a fast pace and heaviness but it turns out that they rip of the fastest track right with the start, as well as the heaviest, with the track Dark Mind. Skies of Xenon shows good melodic and progressive metal that lies very close with Symphony X, the keyboards are playing a big part in this track but is not taking away anything from the rest of the instruments, as goes for almost all of the songs Platitude manages to produce a great flow with their music, no matter if it is fast or slow, soft or progressive it always have a rhythm. One of the instruments is always creating a flow whether it is the drums or a guitar or a keyboard-line that makes it all float. Avalon Farewell, promising with the great opening riff but then the it turns into a mid-tempo melodic hard rock anthem, just a little slower in tempo and it would be a power ballad could easily have fell flat on the ground but it gets away as an ok yet powerful track, barely mostly thanks to the driving riff, one of very few weak points on Nine
The production is made by Tommy Hansen and it is first
class as always when that man is behind the controls. It is also impressive
with the young age of the band regarding the maturity of their songwriting,
they already masters the skill to write progressive and melodic songs
with cathy melody and even more important they have the skill to perform
it in an awesome way. The albums grow rather heavily with the first
couple of listening and than it stops but it doesnt falls back, it comes
to a certain point and stops there and it is good.
|
Production
|
Vocals
|
Compositions
|
|
9 |
7 |
8 |
|
Summary
|
||
|
7,5 chalices of 10 - Thomas |
||
Related links: