Gone Til Winter
Skratch The Surface are always good for sending through some bands to check out, so when the album ‘The First Season’ came through from Gone Til Winter, I figured I was in for a treat! Coming straight out of Manchester, the band have been steadily building a loyal fan base thanks to their brand of melodic, progressive, gothic tinged metal. Having already gained support slots with the likes of I-DEF-I, Forever Never and Blaze Bayley, the band seem to be on track to greatness – so I figured I should check whether or not to jump on the wagon with them!
Opening with Solemnise the guitars are immediately chunky, the drums solid and the bass right there to be heard, it’s all good! The vocals come in clean and crisp, creating a sense of elevation above the heavy backing track which supports further the string synth effects. What you’ve got here is a band who know what their sound is and make their songs in line with that – and you know what, it’s good to hear! There’s no mass production here from what I can tell, what you hear is what you get so this has to be a band which is built for the live scene. I like the gothic tinge which the vocals have got as to be frank, the backing music doesn’t head in that direction, it’s more melodic and progressive, full of riffs which you could well imagine on some of the more conventional Dream Theater stuff. As an introduction to the band it’s also a great eye opener which shows that there are some bands out there who are sticking to their guns and making what they want to make! The highlight for me though has to be the vocal line about ¾ of the way through, just the way it’s held over the descending music is magical, excellent to hear.
Heat Signal follows on and keeps everything firmly on the heavy side of the fence. Opting to build into the track, what you’ve got here is a track which, as an opener on the live scene, will quite simply whip live crowds into a frenzy. The tone they’ve achieved on the guitars is sublime as well, not too much treble but enough to make it light and easy to get on with. The bass is kept high in the mix on this track as well meaning what you end up with is a track which is soft enough to appeal to fans of softer stuff, but also heavy enough to keep the metal fans happy! Kill Me is a complete contrast initially, opening soft and melodic from the outset with an almost celtic feel to the guitar line, it’s all in the progression! Building into the track through the lead line and a bass heavy rhythm, the vocals are faded in with an almost angelic feel to them, kept clean so as to contrast the backing bass hits. If anything, this track almost seems to lack some power after the heavy undertones of the previous ones, but this is soon forgotten as the chorus kicks in. Catchy and powerful, this is another one which on the live scene is either going to work incredibly well or fail miserably, and personally I reckon it’s going to be the former of the two!
Utopia once again harks back to the heavier intros from the band, this time leaning far more towards the gothic styling’s of the likes of Nightwish or similar. This comparison loses all weight as soon as the bass heavy jumpy vocal line kicks in, what you’ve got is something far more funky and fun than a lot of the gothic stuff tends to be – and it’s a pleasure to hear. Deep Sleep continues this dark theme and boy does it do it well, opening crunchy and full to the brim with pinch harmonics, soaring vocal lines and hammering drums. The mix you end up with here is one which is not only heavy but also melodic, this will be one which will appeal to fans of the more conventional heavy yet accessible gothic stuff – think Within Temptation and similar here and you’re not too far off. I like the dual vocal lines on this one as well, they further develop the track into something more than just a rock song, there’s depth here. As if to compound this, Distant Places comes into take the lead with a soft acoustic line and soothing vocal line, this time sounding far more emotional than the previous stuff. I personally love this track and consider it to be one of my favourites from the album, there’s just something about the way it progresses which you can’t help but feel enthralled by, almost as if the words are being sung to you and you alone throughout the track. Clean, soft and powerful, this is one which I think a lot of people are going to like.
Closing the album with two acoustic tracks, Release and Constant Retreat, you’re left with no doubt that what you’ve just heard is something special, something new and something which you’re going to come back to time and time again. The soft closing moments of the album contrast completely against the raw and powerful moments which signalled its beginning, yet leave you still firmly on the fan side of the fence when it comes to the band.
I never know what to expect when a band says ‘gothic’ on their style, purely because on so many occasions this genre can be taken and turned into something completely removed from what it was at first. Personally, if this is gothic music, then consider me a goth from here on as I really like this. There’s moments of darkness sure, but there’s also uplifting melodies which pull you in and make you want to hear more, all the time keeping the different elements flying out at you but never once allowing one single element to take over. In summary, not only is this a band which I need to see on the live scene, but also one which I hope to hear a lot more of over the coming year!
To find out more about Gone Til Winter, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Solemnise the guitars are immediately chunky, the drums solid and the bass right there to be heard, it’s all good! The vocals come in clean and crisp, creating a sense of elevation above the heavy backing track which supports further the string synth effects. What you’ve got here is a band who know what their sound is and make their songs in line with that – and you know what, it’s good to hear! There’s no mass production here from what I can tell, what you hear is what you get so this has to be a band which is built for the live scene. I like the gothic tinge which the vocals have got as to be frank, the backing music doesn’t head in that direction, it’s more melodic and progressive, full of riffs which you could well imagine on some of the more conventional Dream Theater stuff. As an introduction to the band it’s also a great eye opener which shows that there are some bands out there who are sticking to their guns and making what they want to make! The highlight for me though has to be the vocal line about ¾ of the way through, just the way it’s held over the descending music is magical, excellent to hear.
Heat Signal follows on and keeps everything firmly on the heavy side of the fence. Opting to build into the track, what you’ve got here is a track which, as an opener on the live scene, will quite simply whip live crowds into a frenzy. The tone they’ve achieved on the guitars is sublime as well, not too much treble but enough to make it light and easy to get on with. The bass is kept high in the mix on this track as well meaning what you end up with is a track which is soft enough to appeal to fans of softer stuff, but also heavy enough to keep the metal fans happy! Kill Me is a complete contrast initially, opening soft and melodic from the outset with an almost celtic feel to the guitar line, it’s all in the progression! Building into the track through the lead line and a bass heavy rhythm, the vocals are faded in with an almost angelic feel to them, kept clean so as to contrast the backing bass hits. If anything, this track almost seems to lack some power after the heavy undertones of the previous ones, but this is soon forgotten as the chorus kicks in. Catchy and powerful, this is another one which on the live scene is either going to work incredibly well or fail miserably, and personally I reckon it’s going to be the former of the two!
Utopia once again harks back to the heavier intros from the band, this time leaning far more towards the gothic styling’s of the likes of Nightwish or similar. This comparison loses all weight as soon as the bass heavy jumpy vocal line kicks in, what you’ve got is something far more funky and fun than a lot of the gothic stuff tends to be – and it’s a pleasure to hear. Deep Sleep continues this dark theme and boy does it do it well, opening crunchy and full to the brim with pinch harmonics, soaring vocal lines and hammering drums. The mix you end up with here is one which is not only heavy but also melodic, this will be one which will appeal to fans of the more conventional heavy yet accessible gothic stuff – think Within Temptation and similar here and you’re not too far off. I like the dual vocal lines on this one as well, they further develop the track into something more than just a rock song, there’s depth here. As if to compound this, Distant Places comes into take the lead with a soft acoustic line and soothing vocal line, this time sounding far more emotional than the previous stuff. I personally love this track and consider it to be one of my favourites from the album, there’s just something about the way it progresses which you can’t help but feel enthralled by, almost as if the words are being sung to you and you alone throughout the track. Clean, soft and powerful, this is one which I think a lot of people are going to like.
Closing the album with two acoustic tracks, Release and Constant Retreat, you’re left with no doubt that what you’ve just heard is something special, something new and something which you’re going to come back to time and time again. The soft closing moments of the album contrast completely against the raw and powerful moments which signalled its beginning, yet leave you still firmly on the fan side of the fence when it comes to the band.
I never know what to expect when a band says ‘gothic’ on their style, purely because on so many occasions this genre can be taken and turned into something completely removed from what it was at first. Personally, if this is gothic music, then consider me a goth from here on as I really like this. There’s moments of darkness sure, but there’s also uplifting melodies which pull you in and make you want to hear more, all the time keeping the different elements flying out at you but never once allowing one single element to take over. In summary, not only is this a band which I need to see on the live scene, but also one which I hope to hear a lot more of over the coming year!
To find out more about Gone Til Winter, check out their Facebook page HERE.