Endvade EP Album Review 10/2/13
Progessive Metal in Djent form is one thing I DID NOT expect to write a review on, especially when the EP for Canadian metallers “Endvade” is presented to me by Paul “Ablaze” Zinay of Blackguard. Paul’s request threw me completely by surprise as I know him personally and have met him from his roots of Melodic Metal/Folk Metal with his band “Blackguard” What is striking about “ENDVADE” and their 4 song EP “Ascension” is that it clearly takes the monotony out of Progessive Djent made by many primetime headlining acts that run rampant across the United States. (If you have heard any band on the Sumerian or Victory Records roster then you know what I mean) There is so much technicality within the music that it is easy to stick with and not get lost within the structures of the songs. My reasoning has always been clear. I prefer to listen to riffs and rhythm that do NOT overcompensate the composition with extra notes and replace technique with SPEED. This problem is redundant as musicians confuse their “Uniqueness” with “speed and crass” If the listener can catch on to your material, then the fluidity of the material builds upon all other aspects of the responsibilities of the musicians involved.
I find myself entranced with “Ascension” As someone who is an avid listener of many bands that follow the Djent style, this EP is a fresh start with a band who really doesn’t sound like anyone NEW I have listened to this year alone. There Unique abilities play upon the strengths of one another and exclude convolution to the compositions written in this EP. For example, their current single “How’s The Rain” (which you can find the music for in the link below), has a pacing that is NOT severely fast like songs from bands like Periphery (I.E Make Total Destroy) or even Dethklok. I use Dethklok SPECIFICALLY because they are the closest resemblance to sound I can compare to. Styles aside and musical tones between Brendon Small and Endvade’s Alexandre Saint-Pierre, the band clearly has their influences but doesn’t take the notion of revealing it to you. I went into this album not knowing WHO they sound like. THATS DIFFICULT to achieve in this current time.
There flow of guitars in “Unconditional Love” is a perfect harmony which makes it my clear favorite out of the 4 song EP. The melodies by guitarists François Bertrand and Olivier Lamoureux FEEL like they belong in the song. Unlike current bands, there is no obnoxious sounds or even a dub step feel. You can write and compose music that can be a technical masterpiece, but if it throws the song into a complete disarray or into another level to soothe the listener you risk the chance of alienation. This DOES NOT happen here whatsoever. Each member plays to the strengths revealed by one another and as a listener to this band, Finding out where they succeed is as close as i’m going to get to knowing the band members as composers. “Unconditional Love” is a whopping seven minutes and i can repeat that song with no problem. My favorite song but sadly it is the last song off the EP which closes out on the expectations of what can be fortified in an album that this band SHOULD be focused on writing if they haven’t. Normally I lose interest if the song is over five minutes and doesn’t catch my attention after three. I personally cannot run from this track.
“Another Big one Shelley” is the first track off the EP. At first I felt that it struggled to catch my attention. It has a mixture of growls, screams and pure hard hitting vocals mixed with cleans that remind me so much of Periphery’s II album. However, the transition from the second verse to the bridge right at the 2:25 mark is SO smooth that I fall head over heels with it. I repeated the song and connected the dots to make sure that the composed piece met expectations and it did. Transition is a BIG factor that is NOT realized in many EP’s and can carry onto future albums. That is a big benefactor when trying to make reputation and keep a solid fan base. To me, that’s the make or break it focus of music in this specific genre.
Finally, the third track “Religion” is my dead last least favorite. There isn’t anything wrong with the track. The screams and growls do NOT compete with the cleans and I understand what Alexandre is saying (Another big issue that I have with bands currently is that no matter how amazing you sound, if I can’t understand I no longer care) Big plus to that and his prowess as a singer throughout this ENTIRE EP. He knows how to build lyrically and capitalizes on the guitar tones of his brethren beside him. Bassist Alexandre Paquette has his turn to shine in the 3 minute mark of this song. Even though it is short lived here, I still go back to the last song and realize how they built up the bass tracks. He has an outstanding groove that is simple and commanding in all other songs, this song simply was made for him to play background role rather on the forefront.
There is a simplicity to this EP that is set off with one match that will ultimately consume you like a brush fire. It is borderline perfect in the sense that it was almost not intended to be played safely. This conclusion opens my imagination to hearing how the band sounds when they come out their comfort zones and focus more on what they can experiment with. I enjoy this EP very much for the confidence I can have in the members of this band. They are technically sound to which one day the sound itself will be the loudest shock waves heard beside the great Canadian bands of this generation. They will make the mark. Crank up the bass, prepare to get caught up in the catchy riffs and open your ears to the vocal tenacity of Endvade. I recommend “Ascension” with no problem.
Check out the music video for “How’s The Rain” on the link provided:
Endvade EP Tracklisting:
Track #1: Another Big One Shelley – 4:01
Track #2: How’s The Rain – 3:30
Track #3: – Religion – 5:54
Track #4: – Unconditional Love – 7:04
