Reaper in Sicily - Islands
Since their formation in 2009, South Wales five piece Reaper in Sicily has been working hard to make a name for themselves throughout the UK in the hope that they would gain enough of a following that a debut album could be released. After three years of touring up and down the country and a small hiatus in 2010 so that guitarist Matthew Jenkins could recover from an illness, the time has come for a debut offering in the form of Islands.
This debut ten track album consists of soaring power pop melodies and high energy rock rhythms, topped off with some stand out guitar riffs. The captivating opener The Prisoner is a high powered guitar driven song. This is followed by something a little tougher in the form of 50, melodies take a darker turn with the vocal contributions also taking on some darker moments. The chorus of Down But Not Out produces some of the albums best backing harmonies and chants. The band has taken to hinting at TV shows before in their music (Save The Cheerleader - Heroes) so it is no wonder another one popped up in the form of Sunnydale Sucks.
Horizons is one of the best tracks on the album. It has a massive chorus that drags a listener in, some incredible main vocals as well as some deeper vocals on the side. This is a track that will be remembered; another is the title track where the lyrics really start to shine and demonstrate how creative and meaningful this band can be. On this track in particular lines such as She moves her hands to his side, as he stares into her eyes/the paper stiches across her heart where it's been broken so many times really stand out, especially the ending of the track as joint band vocals rocket through.
The vocals provided by Rhys Bernardo on this record are very different to what was expected. They are not too heavy or gruff, like wise they are not clean cut and slick. He has a tone that ranges in the middle, gruffer tones with some more melodious moments but a squeak/whine that appears at times; it is interesting to hear on these tunes. Reaper in Sicily is certainly one of the hardest working bands trying to make a name for themselves in the music world and by the sounds of this album, they are well on their way.
Islands is released June 10th.