Label : Lifeforce Records
Review By Tony Cannella
From Gothenburg, Sweden comes One Without. The bands history begins in 2003 and since that time they have released two demos, a single and now this – their full-length debut called “Thoughts of a Secluded Mind” on Lifeforce records. And what a debut it is. The band play melodic metal with a mix of many different styles, including Gothic and yes even pop. One of the most pleasantly unexpected aspects of this CD is the diversity and sheer emotional power of the songs.One Without shouldn’t be scared off by the mention of “Pop” in their sound, that is only one aspect of what this band has to offer, their core sound lies in melodic metal. Ironically, the first song is titled “Farewell” and it is a 4-minute shot of adrenalin that really kicks things off into high gear. I really liked the lead vocals of Catrin Feymark, she has a clean and clear mid-range style that fits in well with the heavy guitar riffs and the melodic nature of the songs. Guitarist Kenny Boufadene is there to provide “screaming” type of vocals that are usually being delivered in concert with Catrin‘s voice, giving it a unique direction and it is really a high point of this album. After the power of the opening track, the band does not let up for a second as a blazing guitar riff introduces the next track “Your Game”. Again, this song is full of melody and just an overall impressive number with plenty of hot shot guitar licks to keep the musically inclined satisfied and once again a powerful vocal performance by Catrin makes this one of my favorites, at the moment. “Before We All” takes things into a more mid-tempo direction, but there are still heavy riffs to be found here, but this is one song that I believe could be accessible for mass appeal. The band do not let up for a second as the tracks “Separation”, “Reign with Hate” and “Distance Between” really deliver hard and fast. The final song “Chained” quickly became one of my favorites and is a great way to end things with it’s passionate melody and great lyrics.“Thoughts Of A Secluded Mind” is 12-songs and 53-minutes worth of some pretty impressive metal that should find the band reaping some rewards for their hard work and dedication. The songs are accessible, but not overly commercial. A job very, very well done by this great young Swedish band.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Farewell
- Your Game
- Before We All
- Separation
- Withered Serenade
- Reign with Hate
- Ignorance
- Distance Between
- Reachable Existence
- Once in Silence
- Lost to Solitude
- Chained
Line Up
- Catrin Feymark – Vocals
- Kenny Boufadene – Guitar, backing vocals & screams
- Joonas Niskanen – Guitar & backing vocals
- Kristofer Bergman – Bass
- Olle Töpel – Drums
Links
MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site