InMe - The Pride Album Review
On the whole an enjoyable album worth checking out that also helps a good cause.
rating: 3.5
The Pride is the 5th studio album from InMe. Its being released via Pledge Music, which as a service offers fans unique opportunities to gain access to exclusive material including; competitions, alternate versions of songs, behind the scenes videos and photos of the band. In this instance InMe has decided to give a large chunk of their profits to The Alzheimers Society - a truly noble gesture. They have already exceeded the amount of pledges required for them to release and promote the album, which means even more money will be donated to The Alzheimers Society. The band is made up of Dave McPherson (Vocals / Guitar), Simon Taylor (Percussion), Greg McPherson (Bass) and Gazz Marlow (Guitar). The album is made up of ten tracks with a total length of 45 minutes. McPherson has described this album as Uplifting and very positive in comparison to their most 2009 release Herald Moth which was described by some as having a dark tone. The first song of the album is Reverie Shores which begins with a guitar-heavy intro before slipping into a somewhat melodic interlude with some lovely crisp drums and emotional vocals. However, before too long the heavy guitar comes back in alongside the drums and vocals. The drums work wonderfully with the guitars and the melodic interludes remind me of Biffy Clyro and Pendulum, both of which InMe have toured with in recent years. I enjoyed this song a lot and its a good strong start to the album. The second track Moonlit Seabed speeds things up a bit with a much faster drums section and more intense guitars. This one immediately had my head nodding. A much harder track than the first: however, it still manages to have small melodic interludes. Towards the end of the track electro noises join the hectic guitars to create a strange combination that works really well. The third track on the album A Great Man was the first single released and although the album so far has been strong this track stands above the others. It is a more complex beast than the first two tracks utilising a wider variety of instrument. Although the drums and guitars obviously feature heavily this time synthesizers and at times backing vocals join them. This creates a more varied track that allows us to hear more of Daves vocals despite the upbeat tempo throughout. Easily one of the strongest tracks on the album. "Silver Womb is the next track and starts off with a piano building up to a crescendo before the guitar comes in at first in a mellow flavour but then flips into a more erratic style. This continues throughout the track without the piano making a comeback. However, although its enjoyable it doesnt really stand out like the first three songs. Its not a bad track, just not as memorable and it fades away without it coming back to you later. Track five is Pantheon and although generally a strong track to begin with it appears to be in the same vein as the previous track that is until a more mellow interlude takes place towards the second half. This makes the track and allows it to differentiate itself. It has more character and stronger vocals than its predecessor. Escape to Mysteriopa is the sixth track on the album and begins with a slower tempo and more intimate guitar riffs. Daves lyrics take on a more poetic stance on this track allowing the listener to concentrate on them more. The bass guitar on this track comes to the fore with great effect and shows a different side to the band in that it is not only slower but is not so lead guitar based. Guardian starts of with a brief electro intro before being thrown into an up-tempo guitar lead track. Daves vocals run alongside the fast guitar well creating urgency which although enjoyable does not really stand out a great deal, and its questionable as to whether this track is filler more than anything else.. Beautiful Sky Gardens is a great track, which I really enjoyed. The track starts of slowly with mellow guitar riffs, drums and poetic, interesting lyrics from Dave before being flipped into a hectic guitar-heavy song. The song alternates between these two styles all the while holding your attention. The drums work well as the lead from the slower parts of the song into the faster parts with an impressive guitar solo towards the second half of the song. The track ends with a simple vocal and strings section that works well. The penultimate track is called Halcyon Genesis and is a track that starts off with a mellower intro but it soon brings in the heavy guns. The band once again remind us, in case we forgot that they can flip from mellow to intense with agility and pace, creating complex songs. The final song on the album is called Legacy and starts off in an altogether different vein to the rest of the album. Its more of a mid tempo track laced with the hard guitars that run through the entire album but in a more rhythmic fashion. Again we have a nice guitar solo alongside crisp striking drums. Daves lyrics sound impassioned and at times angry but they work alongside the guitars and drums. I enjoyed this track a great deal. To summarise this is a strong and enjoyable album that succeeds best when the group step outside of the typical fast paced guitar and drums laden formula. Where they do vary their sound within individual tracks they create complex tracks with depth that I found myself wanting to listen to again and again. Where the album didnt work for me was when they stayed within the confines of their genre. Stand out tracks for me were Legacy, Beautiful Sky Gardens and A Great Man. On the whole an enjoyable album worth checking out that also helps a good cause. InMe's new album The Pride is released February 20th, 2012.