A band that could take the world of rock by storm....?
When I read that London-based Symphony Cult and I shared a common influential band, Alter Bridge, I must admit that I was expecting great things before I even placed the CD in the player. The band’s debut single, ‘Speak When Spoken To’, had received great reviews and Symphony Cult had even performed on the 2nd stage at Download 2009, not bad for a band that only formed in spring 2008! Everything appeared to back up my expectation that this was a band that could take the world of rock by storm.
Female-fronted Symphony Cult, made up of vocalist and keyboardist Charlotte Lubbock, guitarist and vocalist John Lovell, guitarist and backing vocalist Barney Cushman, drummer Jack Slade and Ben Lloyd on bass, have been impressing crowds across the UK and Europe, sharing the stage with Breed 77 and The Ghost Of A Thousand, as well as performing on high-profile tours with metal giants Sevendust and Kittie. Their heavy metal sound fits perfectly into today’s market, but it’s far from mind-blowing. Think of an Asda price Lacuna Coil and you won’t be far wrong. Lubbock’s vocals, although sounding great when harmonised with the softer vocals from Lovell and Cushman, on their own are harsh and, at higher pitches, quite unbearable; not a band to listen to if you’re suffering with a hangover! The ‘rap’ vocals from Lovell are at times also rather cringe-worthy, there are some great rappers in the world of metal and when done properly the sounds integrate perfectly, but Lovell is not one of these greats - chav meets metal! On a more positive note, the instrumentals throughout the album are heavy and full of attitude, but again this not a band that want to leave their comfort zone; there’s no pushing of any musical boundaries whatsoever here.
The best track is probably final song, ‘Until Tomorrow’, which has the best, charging instrumentals of the whole album, this track screams attitude, but surprises the listener by ending with a beautiful piano and acoustic guitar melody, drawing the album to a serene close. This is one of only two songs on this album that I would hope to hear again, the other being ‘The Answer In My Eyes’ which is a haunting track that brings out the best in all band members, showing what they really are capable of achieving.
‘Rewind to Fast Forward’ is released in the UK on 28th September 2009 through Copro Records. If you would like to read further information about Symphony Cult, please visit their official site (www.symphonycult.com) or Myspace page (www.myspace.com/symphonycult).