CITY OF SOULS
JS
Synæsthesia COLLISION COURSE
Kiwis’ debut with an emphasis on the emotional.
It’s common to see bands try and cram every idea they’ve ever had into their debut album, with sprawling and uneven results. But City Of Souls feature seasoned stagers from New Zealand’s hardcore, rock and prog scenes. And after releasing no fewer than eight singles before putting Synæsthesia together, they’ve got a pretty clear idea of the sharp musical statement they wanted to make here. From the opening bars of Life Blood the listener is hit by an immersive, widescreen wash of arena-sized sound. It helps to have three guitarists in your line-up, of course, and the gut-pummeling riff barrages that underpin tracks such as Wolf have a visceral heft that never fails to quicken your pulse. Then when Richie Simpson’s vocal tips over from a yearn to a scream it adds an emotional resonance to the likes of Ferryman that’s more lasting than any stadium rock aesthetics.