Klatzke
12/23/08, 11:25 AM
Harp and Lyre - Harp and Lyre
Record Label: None
Release Date: January 13, 2009
Harp and Lyre strikes with the ferocity of some of metalcore's greatest. They don't gravitate to follow the norms, but they also don't exactly make steps to completely set themselves apart from all the rest.
The first real noticeable thing about Harp and Lyre's self-titled EP is their keyboardist's major role in the band. Sure, everyone seems to have a problem with any metalcore band that decides to make their keyboardist a major part of their band, but in this case, it's a great addition. While you'll hear plenty of synth parts, Harp and Lyre tend to rely more on piano parts than a synth, and it adds a different air than the overt use of a synth does. If you've heard In Fear and Faith's Voyage EP, then you'll know what I'm talking about. In fact, Harp and Lyre strikes me as a kind of more ferocious version of them in many places. The vocals rely more on straight growls/screaming, and they don't really implement clean vocals often enough to make them an integral part of the sound. This isn't really a terrible thing though; in fact, it's one of those places where they've come to bend the norm just enough to make a difference.
The musicianship on this album is really what you'd expect from one of these bands: above-average displays, but nothing that really sets them far apart from what their contemporaries are doing (with the exception of the keyboardist). The instrumentation is all tight, it just doesn't ever really take off and set itself apart from the hordes of other bands doing the same thing. I'm not bashing on their musicians, and they all seem pretty talented, it's just that, anymore, musicianship seems to be taking the backseat to whatever other facets the bands want shown.
My personal favorite from the album is "Bare Knuckles Meet the Source of the Problem." It's one of the more straightforward tracks, and pretty much showcases everything Harp and Lyre does right. This is followed by second favorite "Judas Visits Temptation Island" where we see the greatest display of the vocalist's talent, as well as the band performing in top form. These are actually the two final tracks from the album,and that's another important part of a listen through the album. They open with two powerful tracks, and while it dips a little in the middle, they come back powerfully with what I've deemed the two best.
Harp and Lyre separates themselves just enough from the pack on this EP to impress me, but don't stray too far. I'm actually pretty surprised that this band is still unsigned, and they're definitely putting out a more impressive sound than many of their signed contemporaries do. While this genre may be slowly dying out, we've still got time to revel in the few albums that get released that are actually worth a listen, and Harp and Lyre is an EP that qualifies for just that.
Sky Eats Airplane; In Fear and Faith's Voyage; Burden of a Day; Gwen Stacy
myspace.com/harpandlyreband (http://www.myspace.com/harpandlyreband)
Record Label: None
Release Date: January 13, 2009
Harp and Lyre strikes with the ferocity of some of metalcore's greatest. They don't gravitate to follow the norms, but they also don't exactly make steps to completely set themselves apart from all the rest.
The first real noticeable thing about Harp and Lyre's self-titled EP is their keyboardist's major role in the band. Sure, everyone seems to have a problem with any metalcore band that decides to make their keyboardist a major part of their band, but in this case, it's a great addition. While you'll hear plenty of synth parts, Harp and Lyre tend to rely more on piano parts than a synth, and it adds a different air than the overt use of a synth does. If you've heard In Fear and Faith's Voyage EP, then you'll know what I'm talking about. In fact, Harp and Lyre strikes me as a kind of more ferocious version of them in many places. The vocals rely more on straight growls/screaming, and they don't really implement clean vocals often enough to make them an integral part of the sound. This isn't really a terrible thing though; in fact, it's one of those places where they've come to bend the norm just enough to make a difference.
The musicianship on this album is really what you'd expect from one of these bands: above-average displays, but nothing that really sets them far apart from what their contemporaries are doing (with the exception of the keyboardist). The instrumentation is all tight, it just doesn't ever really take off and set itself apart from the hordes of other bands doing the same thing. I'm not bashing on their musicians, and they all seem pretty talented, it's just that, anymore, musicianship seems to be taking the backseat to whatever other facets the bands want shown.
My personal favorite from the album is "Bare Knuckles Meet the Source of the Problem." It's one of the more straightforward tracks, and pretty much showcases everything Harp and Lyre does right. This is followed by second favorite "Judas Visits Temptation Island" where we see the greatest display of the vocalist's talent, as well as the band performing in top form. These are actually the two final tracks from the album,and that's another important part of a listen through the album. They open with two powerful tracks, and while it dips a little in the middle, they come back powerfully with what I've deemed the two best.
Harp and Lyre separates themselves just enough from the pack on this EP to impress me, but don't stray too far. I'm actually pretty surprised that this band is still unsigned, and they're definitely putting out a more impressive sound than many of their signed contemporaries do. While this genre may be slowly dying out, we've still got time to revel in the few albums that get released that are actually worth a listen, and Harp and Lyre is an EP that qualifies for just that.
Sky Eats Airplane; In Fear and Faith's Voyage; Burden of a Day; Gwen Stacy
myspace.com/harpandlyreband (http://www.myspace.com/harpandlyreband)