"All of this began with a scrap of paper, which we've now come to call 'The Plan'"...and that is how ALTER EDEN were born. Yes, back in 2015 everything seemed like a good idea, that little scrap of paper full of scribbles was the blueprint to what eventually became the debut EP "Fearless"; showcasing the alt.rock / metal potential these lads from Stoke-On-Trent had within them...now, fast forward two years and the band (consisting of vocalist Nick Pilgrim, guitarist Alex Coleman, bassist Aled Roberts and drummer Simon Whitney) is back. Older and therefore wiser, they have put everything into their new record; creatively, practically and figuratively and the end result? The new EP "Tigers & Lambs"....Will they roar like tigers or like little lost lambs are they bleating their way through life? Let's find out...
We open up with the title track and there's already a sense of improved production quality second time around and it's not surprising, as it's been mastered by the guys behind BRING ME THE HORIZON and LED ZEPPELIN no less! The track itself is a multi-layered sonic offering, the urgency of the guitars in parts is full of emotion, the riffs adding weight while balancing a bass-driven roller-coaster of softer rock and off-kilter metal, giving this introduction character.
EP highlight "Colourless" kicks in immediately afterwards with it's frenetic desire to get the listener pumped up; the rhythm flows well and the gang-vocal lead chorus ensures great sing-along qualities, a great catchy track overall, while "Resent / Relent / Repent" touches on the bands influences such as LETLIVE. and DEFTONES, with a rough around the edges core sound, in places channelling the likes of Jimmy Page through production. The nods don't stop there either, as "Count Your Sins" and closing track "We've Had Enough" utilise the early post-rock emo days of REUBEN and THRICE for more melodic offerings, ending the EP pleasantly.
The question was, are they the tigers, or are the lambs? Well frustratingly we find them somewhere in the middle...where as they have shown they have the calibre to improve, (its a strong step up from their debut in terms of sound) they aren't quite top predators yet in the food chain that is a thriving UK music scene, but, they are far from being lambs either as they've offered up some solid material here. It's worth noting that they have addressed these obstacles with this EP's title in a way, and it'll be interesting to see where they go from here, as they are on the right track. [5]
We open up with the title track and there's already a sense of improved production quality second time around and it's not surprising, as it's been mastered by the guys behind BRING ME THE HORIZON and LED ZEPPELIN no less! The track itself is a multi-layered sonic offering, the urgency of the guitars in parts is full of emotion, the riffs adding weight while balancing a bass-driven roller-coaster of softer rock and off-kilter metal, giving this introduction character.
EP highlight "Colourless" kicks in immediately afterwards with it's frenetic desire to get the listener pumped up; the rhythm flows well and the gang-vocal lead chorus ensures great sing-along qualities, a great catchy track overall, while "Resent / Relent / Repent" touches on the bands influences such as LETLIVE. and DEFTONES, with a rough around the edges core sound, in places channelling the likes of Jimmy Page through production. The nods don't stop there either, as "Count Your Sins" and closing track "We've Had Enough" utilise the early post-rock emo days of REUBEN and THRICE for more melodic offerings, ending the EP pleasantly.
The question was, are they the tigers, or are the lambs? Well frustratingly we find them somewhere in the middle...where as they have shown they have the calibre to improve, (its a strong step up from their debut in terms of sound) they aren't quite top predators yet in the food chain that is a thriving UK music scene, but, they are far from being lambs either as they've offered up some solid material here. It's worth noting that they have addressed these obstacles with this EP's title in a way, and it'll be interesting to see where they go from here, as they are on the right track. [5]
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