Neptune Rain is one of the few bands that started during the pandemic era of music, not gigging until just a month or so ago after having an EP out for nearly a year. To support the fact that they can now play their stuff live, the band has released a reissue of said EP with a few bonus tracks on it, which is available everywhere from today. We managed to get hold of it a little early so that we could get it out to you as soon as it dropped, so check out said review below!
‘All Pain no Gain’ opens on an electronic sample sound and some awesome drums before a great guitar riff comes in over the top of it. It unfortunately stops pretty quick, and I’d have loved it to have lasted longer, but the stripped-back verse afterwards is also awesome, working very well with the same drumbeat and just simpler guitars. The soft, almost whispered vocals also add so much depth and atmosphere to the track, filling it out a bunch. Some rapped vocals come in for the pre, sounding great and building the track up perfectly for a MASSIVE chorus. The duelling vocals were awesome, adding to the catchiness, and the slightly rappier second half was great fun! A brief bridge filled with more awesome vocals leads to a final chorus to finish things off. A simple, radio-friendly structure to a song that was infectiously catchy and fun to listen to. Easily playlisted!
New track ‘Bitter Pill’ opens on some rap-inspired vocals, giving off massive Linkin Park vibes. The instrumentation behind it builds perfectly up, getting heavier and heavier before exploding into another HUGE chorus. The vocals are all sung in this one, and it’s catchy and very enjoyable, written to fill a huge stage by the sound of it. The build-up through the bridge was also a nice touch, especially with the vocals moving up an octave or two as it got heavier. We then again get a final big chorus to finish off another AWESOME song! Another that makes it straight to the playlist!
‘If That Was Love’ opens on a pretty mid-tempo yet heavy riff, the synths in the back adding so much depth to the sound. It drops back again for the verses, being very drum-led, although that may be more down to the production than anything. The pre was also amazing, the guitars getting heavier and a great, catchy vocal melody being present over the top. It all leads into a typically huge, open chorus, the harmonies on the vocals making them hugely catchy and the instrumentation filling out the section massively. We get a rappy bridge after the second chorus, a breakdown almost behind it from the guitar and drums. We then head into a final chorus again to take us home. Damn this was also excellent!
Another new track, ‘Legend’, is one of the slower tracks on the EP. It follows the same sort of formula as the other tracks and has another awesome, huge chorus, but definitely feels like the ballad of the release. Having said that, ‘Taste of Air’ is also another slower track. It’s not bad at all, both are fantastic tracks, with the latter being a particular highlight of the entire EP. It’s simple, just vocals and guitar, but it is so emotional and the vocals and lyrics are fantastic, a really good track and one I am shocked didn’t make the initial release.
OG EP track ‘Nothing Left to Save’ is another heavy one, the opening riff giving off Bring Me the Horizon vibes as much as Linkin Park ones. It doesn’t slow up through the verses either, staying at a quick, almost thrash pace, a nice change from the other tracks I have checked out so far. The chorus keeps the same quick pace but opens up perfectly. The rappier bridge after the second chorus was awesome as always too before it drops down to a beautiful little string section. It’s another part that I’d have happily had go on a little longer, but it’s a small gripe to have with an otherwise amazing song. It ends with another big chorus, the drums working double-time for the last part and adding even more craziness to it all. Another playlisted track!
Added track ‘Rise’ opens on a great guitar riff, the call of ‘1234’ adding even more bounce to it, somehow. It’s another track that stays pretty heavy from start to finish, the riff in the verses keeping me headbanging, especially with the little dropouts from the guitar. The chorus is now expected awesomeness, too. The little ‘woo’ after the first chorus was a nice touch too, it makes it sound like the band had some real fun recording the track, making it a funner listen as a result. The breakdown riff after the second chorus was awesome too, and the singing coming in over the top added some more depth to it all. Again, it didn’t last as long as it could have, but the final chorus is so infectiously catchy that I just cannot complain.
The final two tracks on the EP, OG ‘The Weight of Giving Up’ and ‘We Breathe the Same’ are both two more great tracks. Unfortunately, they have gotten a little lost in the shuffle for me at this point. I LOVE the band’s sound, I really do, but outside of the two slower tracks, they all follow roughly the same formula. I’d happily listen to these tracks a bunch on their own, but when they are part of an album of similar songs, it’s ever so slightly a slog for me to listen to all in one sitting. Heck, that might just be because I’m more of a prog fan than a more radio-friendly sound, but still! As I said, both are good songs, but I’ve run out of praise to give them or stuff to talk about without me repeating myself from previous songs!
Overall: I loved this! It’s a fantastic blend of Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Bring me the Horizon and even stuff like Fall Out Boy that I truly think hasn’t been attempted before (not that I’ve heard, anyway). It’s fresh, catchy, and all-round enjoyable. It’s clear that every member is incredibly talented too, at both their roles and as songwriters. I cannot wait for the chance to see these guys live hopefully next year, and I look forward to hearing what they put out in the future!
The Score: 8.5/10
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