Hailing from suburbs of New South Wales, Resurgence are a five piece band who have recently released their debut album titled Voices. I had never heard of this band before so I was looking forward to hearing what they had to offer. What I found was a band that has some real potential, but ultimately still needs a bit more refinement. On the plus side, they do not sound like AC/DC or the other multitudes of Australian pub rock bands. Also, do not be dissuaded by the band’s name or their logo which may give the perception of them being a hardcore or death metal band. They definitely are not. Their sound leans more towards a mixture of hard rock, classic metal and thrash.
Voices opens with “Envy” which has a slow build up intro that includes spoken vocals, before transitioning to a driving thrash riff which raises the tempo a notch. Vocally, Joshua Ratcliff’s singing is clear and he does a good job, but like many of the songs on Voices, I don’t think that his singing style suits this type of music. Saying that though, the final section of the song is driving and he sounds eerily like Rob Zombie which naturally gives off a White Zombie vibe. “Black Arrow” follows with a cool riff and vocals this time sounding a bit like Glenn Danzig. The song relies on a variety of complimentary rhythms to drive it along in lieu of a guitar solo, unless there was one and I missed it. Next is “Falling Out” which cruises along predominately led by the bass before the guitars join in to boost proceedings. This time around the vocals sound a bit like The Offspring’s Dexter Holland.
“Fatal Behaviour” follows and has a great riff and a great guitar solo. The Misfits inspired “Punkwave” bursts in and never lets up until a cool break down section with whispered vocals which eventually leads to anarchic shouts. I use the Misfits as a comparison here as the delivery of the vocals and lyrics definitely mimics that band, even if the music is more comparable to Green Day. Next up is “Astrotraveller” with it’s trippy intro feeling a bit like Black Sabbath. The lyrics are spoken until they morph into something sounding a bit like a Metallica ballad. “Honoured & Trusted” is next and is one of my favorites. The verses have an energy to them that is lacking on a majority of the songs on Voices. Even after first chorus, the aggression and power is taken up another notch really giving the song some feel and attitude. This is the way that I would have liked all the vocals on the album to sound. They need a bit more growl and grunt to give them some life. As a bonus, the song raises the tempo once again for the solo and bounds along to a satisfying conclusion.
Straying away from the thrash riffs for a moment, Resurgence try their hand at rock with the aptly titled “Rock Island”. It is a completely different sound and feel to the rest of the album with the intro reminding me of Motley Crue. The bridges even include backing vocals which I think is the first time I have heard them predominately on the album so far. As a rock song, it isn’t a bad attempt because the riffs are really good, but it needed a big strong chorus to elevate it to something special. The real highlight of the song has to be the fantastic guitar solo which runs all the way to the end whilst pulling out all the tricks. “Walk Away” follows and is another of my favorites. Structurally it starts with the chorus and has nice double layered vocals, along with a pinch harmonic riff sounding similar to Danzig. My only wish is that Joshua had taken a risk and tried to falsetto the final word on the first verse to boost the transition into the chorus. Coincidentally after I had made that observation, the final word of verse two was enhanced by the commencing note of the guitar solo, so I was half satisfied. The songs closes with an energetic ending and a few guitar dive bombs for effect.
“Game Over” sounds like a slowed down Slayer and even includes tremolo bar guitar squeals. The intro had so much potential but the song ultimately reverted back to the typical mid-tempo offering that is found all over Voices. The lyrics are delivered much like a chant during the verses, before a tempo shift and a demonic growl introduces the guitar solo, which is actually quite good. Unfortunately the song once again reverts back to mid-tempo for the ending. The final song on the album is titled “Total Control” and I like when songs stray from the typical verse-chorus formula. “Total Control” does this by replacing the expected second verse with a guitar solo before moving into another chorus. The song has a whispered vocal section similar to that of “Punkwave” and ends the album in energetic fashion with a final scream from Joshua.
Overall there is plenty of variety and influences on display in the songs on Voices. The amount of similarities to other artists that I have mentioned in this review confirms that. However, whilst this mixed diversity and variety is generally applauded, it is ultimately what brings Voices down for me. There is no doubt that Resurgence have plenty of talent, and for a debut album, Voices is a satisfactory foundation. However, at the moment it feels like the band is still trying to decide where it fits in and who it wants to be. Musically the band has a good sound and some great riffs. In my opinion, Resurgence could be a good thrash band but the lead vocal style would have to change. The music and structures kind of remind me of Mortal Sin and if Joshua was able to channel a bit of Mat Maurer, then it could lead the band in a more defined direction.
Trackslist
Envy
Black Arrow
Falling Out
Fatal Behaviour
Punkwave
Astrotraveller
Honoured & Trusted
Rock Island
Walk Away
Game Over
Total Control
