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Reviews

From the Wreckage: Do Star Circus Top Their Debut?

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The NWOCR rising stars are set to release their sophomore album this coming Friday. We’ve been a fan of the band a couple of years now so this release is pretty highly anticipated for us! The pair fronting it are insanely talented and if the singles are anything to go by, we’re in for a real treat with this release!

‘Over and Over’ sets the album up in perfect fashion; the fast-paced drums giving way to an awesome sleazy guitar riff. Dave Winkler’s vocals fit perfectly over the top, it all having such a great 70s/80s throwback sound to it. It all builds to a MASSIVE pre and chorus, designed to be played to massive arenas and festival crowds. It’s an infectiously catchy track that is already firmly lodged in my ears and brain for surely days to come. We also get some awesome soloing in the middle from both the organ/synth and the guitars, once again giving the track that awesome nostalgic classic rock feel! I love the instruments dropping out for the first two lines of the last chorus too, leaving just the massive, multi-tracked vocals and really highlighting how greatly written it is. The album starts off with a very strong bang, and this an easy one to immediately make the playlist!

‘Chained to You’ picks up right where the previous song leaves off, with some awesome riffing and drumming. Once again Dave’s vocals and lyrics are great over the top of it all, too. And, once again, it all builds to one of the honest to god best choruses of the year so far. Like I cut my teeth playing this sort of music back in the day, and I can assure you this is of the highest quality of classic/hard/sleaze rock there is. It drops down in the middle, a beautiful clean guitar tone ringing through for seconds before it builds perfectly into another fantastic, swagger-dripping guitar solo. The technical ability, as well as the feel, is off the charts. And the band are so far two for two on absolutely amazing songs on this album!

‘The Wreckage’ is a little slower and heavier and darker, while still feeling very Star Circus. It is a nice change of pace, keeping the album fresh already. It still builds up perfectly through the verse and already catchy pre into the stadium-sized chorus, the harmonies on the vocals making it somehow even more catchy! It almost feels like a metal ballad more than a sleazy rock song, and I love it! Another awesome solo leads to a great stripped-back clean section, much like the previous track. It fits even better in this song, and builds up into the fantastic chorus again perfectly. What a damn good song; the album is so far three for three with hits!

Single ‘One Hit Wonder’ picks up the pace again and brings the sleaze back in full force with that riff. However, the verse immediately gives me more EOL vibes than anything, not that that’s a bad thing! It still builds up to that massive hard rock chorus though, the parts all fitting together surprisingly well. It follows the standard formula the others have to this point in terms of structure, but once again feels pretty different to the other tracks, keeping it constantly interesting. And, shock horror, it’s another awesome song!

Another single, ‘Turn the Tide’, takes a surprising turn into more of a folk sound, again not that I’m complaining! The more acoustic-style riff to open is awesome, and the track builds through the instrumentation and lower vocals perfectly into a big hard-rock-ballad chorus. It’s an ear-worm of a chorus if I’ve ever heard one, too. The solo is another great one too, fitting the tone of the song perfectly, yet another example of the band’s incredible writing skills! The fact that yet again the album has changed up feel and pace so effortlessly is amazing, and we’re only halfway through the thing!

The bass intro to ‘Destiny’s Door’ was nice, and the main riffs actually give off big early Maiden vibes. It’s a pretty bass-driven track, which again is something different for the album, and is another dip into the more traditional hard rock sound like ‘The Wreckage’. I feel like it’s redundant at this point to mention how awesome and catchy the choruses are. Dave is a master at writing and singing/producing them, and every single chorus on this album is banging. And THAT chorus after the chorus… DAMN. The more Egyptian work from the guitar throughout is actually incredible, blowing me away with yet another style. The whole thing so much instrumentation and is all just 80s Maiden, and it’s yet another huge highlight of the album.

Songs like ‘Masquerade’, ‘Last Dance’ and ‘Floodlight’ somewhat thankfully chilled out just a little, still being fantastic but fitting a little more into the formula of the band at this point so my mind doesn’t end up in pieces all over the floor yet again. Having said that, the former does have some slight folk/power metal leaning, and I assume has some Sophie vocals on it, which also sound fantastic. Meanwhile the latter goes back to more of the slower, menacing-like ballad sound that the band do so well! As I said, all songs are good, but are styles that have all been done on the album at this point so I want to avoid repeating myself too much as this review is pretty long as it is. Still, all three of the songs are awesome and well worth checking out!

The final track on the album and the most recent single, ‘Two Odds Make an Even’ is somehow an amalgamation of everything that’s come before it, in the best way! It’s a ballad yet still has both heaviness and sleaziness in equal measure, and is packed full of awesome riffing, soloing and big choruses. It’s another awesome song that kinda gives me Gypsy Pistoleros vibes! It’s a great way to close out such an album too, going out with a bang (although damn do I hate a fade-out)!

Overall: This is a phenomenal album1! I love the band so was expecting good, but this blew all my expectations out of the water! It really is banger after banger, without a dud track throughout. And as I’ve said, the band constantly keep it interesting and change it up a fair bit, making for a truly engaging listen. The band have been going from strength to strength on the live circuit, and this album may quite easily push them up a level or two! A must for an rock fans out there, and an album I’ll be spinning for months to come!

The Score: 9.5/10

Reviews

Dead Hearts: A New-wave Masterpiece from Nouveau Arcade ?

Strap yourselves in guys, this is about to get weird and long! Seattle’s own Nouveau Arcade are set to release their debut album in a couple of days, and it’s a fascinating combination of genres. From synthwave to pop-rock to industrial/goth, they combine together an interesting blend of sounds. I couldn’t wait to dive into the duo’s music, so let’s do it together!

Opening on single, ‘Static Eyes’, the album leaves a fantastic first impression. Somehow it combines all of the aforementioned sounds together effortlessly. An 80s inspired synth-pop, vocals that remind me of Billy Idol, Jarvis Cocker and Peter Steele at times, and a big guitar riff for the chorus that brings in the rock perfectly. However, having said all of that, it also still feels modern, even futuristic. The chorus is pretty catchy and I can see this all being so good live if it sounds close to the track. An awesome way to open the album and easily a highlight!

Surprisingly not one of the 13 tracks released prior to the album, ‘iHumanz’ is another interesting one. Turning up the synthy, futuristic cyberpunk feel to the max, it fits the topic Nouveau Arcade explore perfectly. The mixing and production on all of it is phenomenal, too. Everything is heard perfectly in the mix and it helps the track really take the listener on a journey. The track’s plodding pace and catchy vocals combine to make something truly epic. And we even get a pretty heavy breakdown and a harsh vocal which I was not expecting at all! Another massive highlight of the album and a track that definitely makes the playlist!

(Surprisingly enough) another single, though one of their earlier ones this time, ‘Crazy Like That’ feels a tad on the safe side compared to the other two previous. It’s not a bad track at all, but it’s very much a modern pop track in the same vein as The Weeknd or Twenty One Pilots. The melody is fun and as a whole it’s a hooky earworm for sure. It fits in well with the last TOP album, which makes sense given that they were released in the same year. If you’re into the lighter side of this company, you’ll love this!

Next up is the band’s debut single, ‘Summer is Over’. Much like the previous track, it is very modern and pop heavy. However, it does have a rather 80s edge to it too that definitely kept me more interested. It does feel like the most simple track so far, though. There isn’t quite the huge, arena-filling chorus in this one as much as the others. However, it’s still a very fun track!

‘Die on Me Now’ changes things up in the best way, just as I was starting to get a tad restless. It’s a heavier, goth rock track, closer to that of Sisters of Mercy or even the lighter Birthday Massacre stuff. It completely changed the pace and tone of the album and did so beautifully. The simple guitar chords make everything sound MASSIVE and the vocals are infectiously catchy for the chorus. Everything about this was awesome and a huge highlight. Playlisted!

‘Only Happy When it Rains’ somehow feels like a blend of everything that has preceded it. From the heavy synth-focus to the big, heavy guitar chords to the low, Type O vocals, it had me interested throughout. Honestly, I got heavy Nine Inch Nails vibes throughout, which was honestly great. It definitely has the feel of something Trent Reznor would write for a movie. Everything about this was amazing and it’s yet another highlight from the album. I’m becoming a little obsessed with this band already…

I have to admit, ‘Jukebox Cake’, ‘Fluorescent’, ‘Neon Love Machine’ and ‘Hard Times’ didn’t hook and reel me in much. None of them are bad, but go back to the heavy 80s/modern day synth pop that we got a fair bit of already. There is definitely elements of soft rock and goth spread throughout them too, but none of it stands out enough from them to speak of individually. Still, they are good songs and fit the album well!

‘Apart’ and ‘Drawing Pictures’ are similar to each other in that they both have guest vocalists throughout. Both are fun synthy tracks that have very different feels from each other. The former, featuring simply Cordelia, is a slower, much more gothy number. Meanwhile the latter, featuring Keira Verlee, is a more upbeat, almost 90s club anthem track. That chorus is massive and great. I’m not going to lie, I don’t think either will make my regular rotation on their own, but they are interesting tracks that add even more depth and style to the album.

Speaking of Twenty One Pilots from earlier, here is a cover of their 2018 hit ‘Jumpsuit’. Honestly, it’s great. Nouveau Arcade manage to heavy the track up in a way I wish the original creators could still make in this day and age. I think the guest spot of Pendulum’s incredible drummer KJ Sawka helps it along that way quite a lot; this does very much feel like Pendulum meets Twenty One Pilots in the best way. If anyone is a fan of the original band, check this out, it’s definitely an interesting take that feels just as much Nouveau Arcade than anything else. Amazing stuff!

Another track that features KJ is ‘Run Boy Run’. It’s another heavier track that is enhanced amazingly by the drums. It also has a surprisingly great riff in it at times. It’s the closest to an all out rock song. It almost has a fun dubstep element throughout, especially in the breakdowns. Between that and a heavier guitars and vocals, it really reminds me of something Korn would have put on their Path of Totality album. The scream and breakdown boarder on metal, or at very least the heavier side of Pendulum. I loved everything about this, and it’s another that easily makes the playlist!

The final two tracks are a fun, interesting way to close things out. ‘Choose Your Fighter’ is a straight up EDP club track. Meanwhile ‘Stronger Now’ is like BMTH or Sleep Token without that one big riff or part that makes them still metal. Still, there’s some fun guitar riffs in it and some more great dubstep. It’s a surprisingly good, massive way to close out the album, too!

Overall: This was a really good album. It isn’t usually what we cover for the most part, and I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much. That and because it’s a fantastic album overall. There are so many great tracks throughout. My only slight issue is that it may be a little too long. At 16-tracks and over an hour in length it’s a big listen. However, it’s all so well put together and dynamic throughout that I barely felt the length at all. It crosses genres seamlessly while still maintaining a feeling of Nouveau Arcade. I’d recommend this album to anyone, there’s something in it for everyone. Go check it out!

The Score: 9/10