ALBUM REVIEW: Lights Of Night – Askara
As the lilting, Kingdom Hearts-esque piano melodies of The Birth Of A Star from ASKARA begin to drift, hope fills the air. The beginning of the Swiss dark symphonic quartet’s new record Lights Of Night starts off about as promising as one can, calling to mind images of tranquillity and starlight. And that’s about where the highlights of this record end. Unfortunately, most aspects of this album come across as half-baked and amateurish, and though there are two major elements that stand out, they certainly don’t do enough to salvage a record that needed a lot more time and a lot more self examination to stand out whatsoever amidst a sea of more polished bands in the sub-genre.
The highlights of the record deserve to be spotlighted right away. Vocalist Miril has a vocal tone and clarity that cuts through everything and her talent certainly shines on each and every song she sings on. Her voice, along with the piano that permeates most tracks on the record, are the most pleasing parts of the entire album. Tracks like Hibernation and Seven Years especially stand out as the two ballads of the record, and the hook of the latter is especially strong – perhaps the strongest moment of the entire runtime.
But unfortunately, that’s about where the good times end. Most of the record is a chore to get through, with a crunchy guitar tone that feels wildly out of place amidst the rest of the sonic palette the band is trying to paint with. It has no heft to it and feels like it was played through a cheap amp from Guitar Center. The production also feels like an afterthought, with none of the various elements of the record blending much at all in a cohesive fashion. This lack of heft and cohesion leaves most of Lights Of Night feeling like a bare bones skeleton of a record with no real meat on the body.
The biggest offender of the record is, unfortunately, the growled vocals. To be frank, these sound a bit like your best friend trying his best to impersonate any number of more accomplished vocalists in the scene. It’s not for a lack of trying, it just needs a lot more work and practice to achieve the tone the band clearly wants to set. But in a sub-genre where the vocals absolutely need to stand out in every possible way to make a statement, the harsh vocals on Lights Of Night end up having the opposite effect and serve to hold back the band more than any other element.
The flow of the vocals also feels disjointed, and the transitions both within and between songs just do not flow and often are so abrupt it comes as a shock. The few symphonic elements that add flavour and texture, like the appearance of violin on the album, just don’t do enough to break up the awkwardness and feelings of boredom that accompany the listening experience. Front to back, aside from the aforementioned highlights, this record is unfortunately a snooze.
There are bits and pieces of ASKARA that have so much potential in them, but they never find a true foothold in a meaningful way throughout Lights Of Night to save the rest of the elements that need so much more work to create an album that will make any ears prick up at all. If the band can spend a bit more time working on their chops and production choices, and perhaps have a few extra ears to lend some suggestions, they may yet cobble together a record that utilises their strengths to the fullest.
Rating: 3/10
Lights Of Night is out now via Fastball Music.
Like ASKARA on Facebook.