Best Of 2012: #13

#13 - Heretics - Wealth = Success

I don't really watch out for many new bands, which maybe I should, but occasionally one pops up, usually courtesy of another, more well-known band. Heretics are one such band. Dealing in dark, electronic music, the band - well, duo - have a knack for creating melodies and choruses that could make a decent impact - if they were better known! I reviewed this album in full earlier this year; and this what I wrote: "I don't think this one completely measures up to the duo's debut - it's still a very good album, but there's something missing on a few of the tracks this time round. However, they should be commended for being more experimental and trying out a few different styles of song - the instrumentals (Battle and Silence) and even parts of songs that go without vocals (the endings of Strangers or Ambition, for example) are some of the best things they've created. That's not to say the vocals aren't good, they fit the mood of the album perfectly. Overall, still going strong!" And I keep that opinion.

RECOMMEND: Roulette, Obscurity, Ambition
LOW POINTS: Engineer, Life Like This

Album Review: Heretics - Wealth = Success

It's been close to two years since I chanced upon this duo, after a quick tweet from Klaxons if I remember correctly - but time has seriously flown. Soon after that, I was investigating any and all tunes that were available around Soundcloud or YouTube, wherever I could find them! This time, they made my job a little easier and posted a demo of a new track around every month, keeping me interested. (Obviously, the demos have gone now that the album is imminent) For this album, there's not so much change in the sound - it's still very dark electronic pop music - but the style has definitely changed and offers a slightly more varied collection of songs. So let's examine it track by track.

1. EPITAPH
This song was the first snippet we heard from the new album, released as a single in the summer of 2011, and it seems that this one hasn't changed at all; they did change the weird intro that was present before - it's still there but cut down by about 45 seconds. The song itself is a perfect example of what you should expect on this album - from the dark lyrics - "in memory of my death, it'll be my last great work, my epitaph" - to the downtempo feel of it all. And as always, the duo show they have a skill with choruses - somehow feel-good and sometimes sing-along despite being mired in darkness. A strong opener.

2. ROULETTE
One of the tracks released as a demo, Roulette is the one that has most significantly been updated. Whereas once it started with chimes and a reasonably slow pace, now it starts with an electronic pulse and a harder-hitting beat. It is on the more uptempo end of the spectrum for this album, but that's still a very subjective description! The lyrics head towards politics and governments wasting our money and then asking us to pay for it; nothing unheard of but a little different from the opening track.

3. BATTLE
A significant change on this album is the introduction of two instrumentals in place of full songs, where the pair get to show off their skills with the electronics. Starting with a sort of "aah-aah" sound created by a synth, and building on that, slowly adding bits and pieces until the powerful beat drops its way in. It pulses and glows in all the right places, and doesn't last too long (at just over 3 minutes)

4. ENGINEER
"I used to be an engineer, but now I'm just an engine" goes the first line of this track over a basic synth line which slowly allows space for other synthy noises to join in. It's more minimal than we're used to, but the chorus brings out some bigger sounds, although the last note doesn't quite sit right with me for some reason. This song is perhaps at the weaker end of the album, but it's still good.

5. STRANGERS
Starting on a slightly darker synth note than the previous couple of tracks, this one also keeps backing synths to a minimum, or at least at a lower volume, for the first half of the track, but then for the second part, it launches into an absolutely brilliant finale, with a fantastic synth line dominating the whole song. One of the greatest moments on the album, even if it takes a little while to get there.

6. OBSCURITY
Here's one (finally) that I haven't heard before! This one is perhaps the least dark-sounding of the album, despite the title, with its slightly more uplifting up-and-down synth line. The lyrics, however, remain relatively bleak, but I suppose we've grown to expect this! The chorus flows nicely in from the verses, and despite not being the greatest one the duo have produced, the song as a whole is up there with my favourites from the album.

7. BEYOND HOPE
A six minute epic in every sense of the word. A lone voice chanting 'aaah's gives way to a brooding backing synth and drum combination. It's a very slow track but that means that six minutes flies past as you're listening to it. In an interesting reversal, rather than bringing more in for the chorus, this time everything disappears more or less, to give the vocals room to shine. Then, at about three-quarters of the way through the song, you think it's all going to end, before a slightly more hopeful sounding tune joins in but fades away to leave the chants heard at the start of the song, to bring it all down back into darkness. Definitely an odd track, but a great one nonetheless.

8. LIFE LIKE THIS
Again, we have a lighter (well, less dark) tune taking lead on this song, and unbelievably, it seems like the lyrics are taking a turn for the happier, although it is temporary, as before long we move away from lyrics about enjoying "the feel of the grass beneath your feet" to building "a prison for yourself, like you can't handle the freedom". Still, it's a welcome change of pace, despite the song not being hugely memorable or mind-blowing.

9. SILENCE
Remember I said there were two instrumentals on this album? Well, here's number two. This one could almost be a dance-y track played at some more underground clubs, it's slow-moving but has a nice flow to it. At times it does feel repetitive, especially with no vocals to take point on the track. Well, I say no vocals. There appears to be some vocals at the end, although what is actually being said is lost in electronic meddling. It does sound fantastic, though. And again, the song ends before you get tired of it, albeit a little abruptly.

10. AMBITION
So, here it is. The final song. Another six-minute epic, split into two halves this time. The first half is mostly just one synth (which borrows from the synth riff heard in Epitaph's middle-eight section) and a vocal line, although it does build at times. It also features the album's title: "When your income is not the best, it's easy to feel like you've failed, because wealth equals success". The second half, is electronic madness, synths flying in from left and right, bringing the album to a huge close.

SUMMARY
Well, to be perfectly honest, I don't think this one completely measures up to the duo's debut - it's still a very good album, but there's something missing on a few of the tracks this time round. However, they should be commended for being more experimental and trying out a few different styles of song - the instrumentals and even parts of songs that go without vocals (the endings of Strangers or Ambition, for example) are some of the best things they've created. That's not to say the vocals aren't good (apart from the one note previously mentioned at the end of Engineer's chorus), they fit the mood of the album perfectly. Overall, still going strong!



FAVOURITE TRACKS: Roulette, Obscurity, Ambition
LEAST FAVOURITE TRACKS: Engineer, Life Like This

PREVIOUS ALBUMS (as I would rate them now): Heretics (4/5)

Heretics - Wealth = Success

Artwork
















Tracklist
01. Epitaph
02. Roulette
03. Battle
04. Engineer
05. Strangers
06. Obscurity
07. Beyond Hope
08. Life Like This
09. Silence
10. Ambition

The album will be released 26th March, and has spawned a single, Epitaph.

Roulette, Engineer and Silence are all available to listen to on the band's Soundcloud page. The page did include demos of Strangers, Life Like This and Battle, but they have been taken down. Battle can still be heard here. Two more tracks, Obscurity and Ambition, are on YouTube and Beyond Hope has not yet been heard in any shape or form.

The album will not feature previously demoed tracks Waves or Damaged.

Best Of 2010 - #10

Heretics - Heretics



Original full review here.

It's a crime that this band isn't better known - this debut album is full of songs that have potential to be huge. After hearing loads of songs the band posted on various sites (I heard versions of 7 of the 10 songs before the release), it was great to hear the final recording along with three new songs, two of which are the best the album has to offer.

The only songs I'm not too keen on are Colour and the hidden track at the end (mainly due to its placement), but the others all have a massive sound. Trust, These Words, Gardens and We Could Leave are the standouts of the album, but the others are up there too. It would have been even better if they'd stuck Safety Net on there somewhere, but I'm sure they had their reasons. The only other criticism I can make is that the sound doesn't change much, and so sometimes it does get a bit repetitive, but the songs themselves stand up well on their own.

SCORE


No previous albums.

Album Review: Heretics - Heretics

Album: Heretics
Artist: Heretics

It's a crime that this band isn't better known - this debut album is full of songs that have potential to be huge. After hearing loads of songs the band posted on various sites (I heard versions of 7 of the 10 songs before the release), it was great to hear the final recording along with three new songs, two of which are the best the album has to offer.

------
A forty-five second intro, which builds anticipation for the album ahead, and then starts to segue into the second song. But that's all it does, and in my head I count it as part of the next song, which is...

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
This is one of the best on the album. An industrial-sounding beat runs its way throughout the whole song, whilst the vocals reign over everything. The way the chorus joins the rest of the song is brilliantly done, and some clever rhyming makes its way in ("One last moment of bliss, a kiss, and then now into this abyss") before the song calms down with an almost ear-piercing synth line, comes back for another chorus, and then finishes in spectacular style.

Don't Be Late
This one sounds slightly darker, yet is as big-sounding as the previous song. "Don't be late she cried, but now my hands are tied" goes the chorus, which had me singing along by the time the last chorus came in. But then again, I had heard it before...

We Could Leave
This was my favourite before I heard the newer tracks, and it sounds slightly more powerful on the album, with the guitars being turned up a bit. Its beat and synth line make it a very catchy affair. Once again, the change-over from verse to chorus sounds brilliant, and the deep vocal shines out as one of the best things on the album.

Count Down The Time
A slower, calmer song to take a break from the first few tracks. Or is it? After two minutes of a synth line that gets a bit repetitive at times while the vocals reign supreme yet again, it takes a turn for the massive (yet again) as we are told "we can sleep well tonight." The second half is definitely better than the first here.

Entitled
"I'm not content with what I have" is the opening lyric of this song about consumerism and our overwhelming desire to buy and buy 'til we have no money. And even then, after we have no money! ("No more overdraft, I'll use the credit card" goes the song). The lyrics are getting a bit more topical - which is good for this band, as they seem quite good at it. The tune itself isn't much to write home about, but it's still a decent song.

Trust
Finally, a new song! (excluding the first track, which isn't really a song) Definitely one of the best on offer here. A glacial synth opens the song, then comes the beat, and then some really powerful guitar work, then more drums come in, then another synth line over the top... building up and up, before the verse calms things down, before the chorus of "Time, you never draw the line." The chorus is actually probably the weak point of this song (unlike the earlier songs) as it is repetitive and wears out quickly. Nevertheless, this is one of the two standouts of the album.

These Words
This is the absolute best song on the album. The opening synth gives off a sense of sadness - before the verse, where the beat grows as we're led into the chorus of "These words of mine, when written down, never amount to much..." After another round of verse and chorus, sounding as big as the first time they came round, we take a break and hear "If one person listens to what I say, today will not be a wasted day...". Finally, after another rendition of the chorus, the final instrumental minute is the best way to close this up. Amazing song.

Colour
Unfortunately, Colour pales in comparison to the previous song, and is my least favourite on the album. It now sounds like it's all been done before. The album's songs do all sound very similar to one another, but the band manages to make them sound massive. However, this one is quite underwhelming. And at the end, it just ends abruptly, and just sounds slightly wrong. The only song on here that I'm not keen on, but not so far that I'd skip it on the album, it's still better than a lot of stuff I hear these days.

Gardens
The final song is also new, and is up there as one of my favourites (excluding the hidden track). It's a slow affair, but the chorus packs a powerful beat, and the piano in the verses gives off another epic vibe. "Help me out, I can't do this on my own..." goes the chorus, and you can almost imagine that if it were played live, everyone would be waving their hands slowly in time to the beat. Every time the chorus comes in on this song, it gets bigger and bigger, and the way the song closes sounds like one of the biggest things the band has done.

(Hidden Track)
I don't like this turning up after Gardens being such an epic album closer - this seems like it would have been a good intro to the album. It has the deepest vocal of the album, and sounds like its just anticipating something bigger to happen. It's quite an underwhelming end to the album, so I tend to stop at Gardens. If it had been stuck somewhere earlier on it might have grabbed me a bit more.

So, overall, a fantastic debut album. The only songs I'm not too keen on are Colour and the hidden track at the end (mainly due to its placement), but the others all have a massive sound. Trust, These Words, Gardens and We Could Leave are the standouts of the album, but the others are up there too. It would have been even better if they'd stuck Safety Net on there somewhere, but I'm sure they had their reasons. The only other criticism I can make is that the sound doesn't change much, and so sometimes it does get a bit repetitive, but the songs themselves stand up well on their own.

SCORE


DISCLAIMER
These reviews have not been written by a professional reviewer, but are just one fan's opinions on the songs released.

Heretics - Heretics

The debut album from Heretics, which is self-titled, will be released on 22nd November.

Artwork


Tracklist

01. --/--
02. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
03. Don't Be Late
04. We Could Leave
05. Count Down The Time
06. Entitled
07. Trust
08. These Words
09. Colour
10. Gardens

NOTES
No "Safety Net" - the single released in August. What happened to it?

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Entitled, We Could Leave and These Words can be heard on the band's MySpace page.
Count Down The Time was released with Safety Net in August.
Don't Be Late can be heard here.
Colour, along with some older demos, can be found here.

--/--, Trust, and Gardens are the only three not heard before.

A New Band: Heretics

It's not often I discover a new band before the release of their debut album; I tend to find out about bands after they've been on the music scene a while, but after having a listen to a few tracks from this band, Heretics, I am now eagerly anticipating their debut album, which I think is self-titled, due for release on 22nd November on iTunes. (More information to come soon)

I first discovered this band after they covered the Klaxons song Echoes (here), and Klaxons gave their approval and even put it on their Twitter. I thought it was a good cover, but unfortunately forgot about it. A few days ago, however, I chanced upon that video again, and had a look for more Heretics songs, and ended up enjoying all of them. Here are the three music videos the band have on their YouTube: Safety Net, Don't Be Late and my personal favourite, We Could Leave.