Amaryllis - The Revolt
South based band Amaryllis are getting geared up to release their new EP The Revolt on 12th May. The band gained fame last year after releasing their debut, self-titled EP for free. Since then they have gone on to gain a strong fan base here in the UK and have supported bands Elliot Minor and The Dirty Youth. Now it's 2014 Amaryllis have big things planned, after this release they plan to head out on tour and rock the nation.
The first track Kings doubles up as a single and it's not hard to see why the band chose this song, from the guitar feedback at the beginning to the rhythmic drum beat it displays fine-tuned talent from all members.
Second song Stand Down started off a bit disjointed, the melody of the lyrics didn't fit with the guitar riff but as the other instruments kicked in it started to sound more concrete. Although saying this the melody of the lyrics still remained a tiny bit of a problem as every time the chorus played out you can hear the vocals and guitar clashing.
Prophecies brings with it the excellent song writing heard in Kings. The vocals once again sound like they belong more to the instruments instead of sounding like they were just thrown on top. This song is unquestionably a contender for the second single, the way each instrument complements each other makes for an enjoyable listening experience. The opening to Goodbye is perfectly orchestrated and is a great follow on from the previous track. It's an all-round well written song, the lyrics are heartfelt, the drum beat is strong and the guitars provide an excellent ambiance to the whole track.
The final song Strangers In August is the ballad of the EP as it takes a new direction by using acoustic and electric guitars together. As the song goes on each instrument joins in slowly building up the mood and making the listener more entranced as each second passes.
As a whole the EP is really strong, especially for a second release, but maybe could do without the second track as it is quite weak compared to the other songs. It's still very much early days for Amaryllis but they definitely have the makings to break into bigger things soon.