Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
I first heard of Flowing River by way of their initial single “Poison Rose” back in 2010. At the time the band was located in Portugal, now – I guess – they have relocated to England. Whatever the case, there is not much info on the internet about this band. This is why I really wish bands would include a bio or something when sending in their stuff for review, so if I got any of the background on Flowing River wrong, I apologize, but next time please send a bio. Now, on to their debut EP “Inner Strength”. As I mentioned earlier they have only previously released a one song single. With “Inner Strength” the band has released 20-minutes and 5-songs, so I feel this will probably be a better sampling of their style. And what is their style? I would say they band has a sort of dramatic, gothic vibe, not unlike say, Evanescence. “Inner Strength” begins with an intro that really sets a definite vibe before launching into the straight-forward rocker “Make You Rise”. This song is helped out greatly by some rumbling guitar riffs, a great melody and Catia Sousa’s clean, soaring vocal style. Next is the almost 3-minute Evanescence style tune “Acherontia”. After that is “Dying in Paradise” which features a duet with Catia and a male singer named Scheoul. A drum solo intro begins the heaviest song “The Mask” and the ballad “Taking Over Me” wraps things up. With “Inner Strength”, Flowing River has a released a strong representation of what they are about and what we can hopefully expect in the future. Good stuff!
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Make You Rise
- Acherontia
- Dying in Paradise
- The Mask
- Taking Over Me
Line Up
- Catia Sousa – Vocals
- Luis Torrealba – Bass
- Pedro Pinheiro – Guitars
- Miguel Zenha – Guitar
- Daniel Teixeira – Drums