Truth Or Sarah
Archive for March 9, 2012
Approaching Troy “Somnium”
Truth:
Approaching Troy’s album, Somnium, will be available for purchase March 16. The album can be streamed on their Facebook page.
Sarah:
Time for a little vocabulary lesson: “Somnium” is Latin for “dream” or “fantasy.” Fittingly, the band’s new album is a dream to listen to. After hearing “Star Crossed Lovers” a while back, I figured that this band had some potential. Approaching Troy does not disappoint with Somnium. The album version of “Star Crossed Lovers” is a friendly reminder that the band is still the same Approaching Troy that you first fell in love with. It’s a mix of pop-punk and heavy metal, that describes the direction the album is going.
In The title track, “Somnium,” the band creates a dream-like sound with their intricate guitar and drum details. The distant vocals in the beginning are haunting and leave you wanting more. The crisp ending shows the effort put into the production was well worth it.
“Here’s To Ohio” is the perfect mix of hardcore and pop-punk with beautifully strained vocals and harmonies to die for. The guitar and bass in the track are ferocious enough on their own to convey the sound of a melodic heavy metal tune, but the massive drums take it to the next level.
The vocals in “The Death of You” aren’t as br00tal as the drums are in the track, but the lyrics are a saving grace. The meticulous attention to the sound of the guitar in the song is to be recognized, as it perfectly matches the notes vocalist Jake Salazar hits. “Departing Sparta” is the same story as “The Death of You,” with the instrumentals and backing vocals outshining the lead vocals–at least for the first 30 seconds. Salazar exerts his voice to the max, screaming the angst-ridden lyrics: “you promised that we’d always be/you promised to me.”
“Punk Funk Hardcore Sunday” would be the perfect title if every day was Sunday. Otherwise, it perfectly describes the song. The drums fill in the hardcore role, while the guitars are a mix of punk and hardcore. The vocals fit all three genres, as its funky and off-beat in some aspects, yet angst-y in other ways.
Winner for the longest intro ever goes to “Defeat Destiny, Create Madness.” The interesting mix of voices in the song make for a must listen, plus the lyrics are genius. “The Victory” is funny in that the instrumentals are very upbeat, while the vocalist sings about ‘bleeding slow.’ The battle-like tune is in itself a victory because it shows off the band’s range of talents–from screaming to crazy drumming and meticulous guitar and bass.
Finally is “Here’s to Ohio,” the acoustic version. It’s definitely a different sound from the album version. The vocal harmonies are something to get used to, especially if you prefer higher octaves. But even with the deep voices, it’s a beautiful sound. I love the guitar chords at the end; they really add an ethereal vibe to the acoustic track.
Overall, I’m a bigger fan of Approaching Troy than before. Their formula of accumulating different genres within rock works to their advantage.
