ALBUM REVIEW: Lost Souls – Caskets
In times of emotional overload, it’s vital to find a healthy outlet. Leeds based CASKETS seek solace with their debut full-length Lost Souls. Releasing this Friday, the album follows 2019’s Ghost Like You EP. Shedding their former identity, Lost Souls provides an outpouring of pain and negativity. With a runtime of 45 minutes, the alternative quintet find themselves tip-toeing the boarder of bloating.
The Only Ones gets CASKETS off to a promising start. Donning an approach akin to BRING ME THE HORIZON, a melancholy intro blooms into a heavy, synth laden song. Drums from James Lazenby smash through the ethereal soundscape. Matt Flood’s pop punk vocals marinade in sadness as he broods “dreaming can’t help me turn my mind off”.
Ruminating in fear and loss, CASKETS add themselves to the pantheon of acts bearing their souls. The first half of Lost Souls finds the five-piece getting lost in the mix. Keen to throw everything they have out into the world, they trap themselves in their ambition. Glass Heart explodes into being, flowing from the energy of its predecessor. Yet with the song being so eager to take off, it does so too early. When time comes for guitars from Benji Wilson and Craig Robinson to elevate the tune, they hit a glass ceiling.
It’s a formula the band utilises a lot. While it gives them their sound, the familiarity of it often lessens the impact they’re looking for. Nothing To Hide, the tale of breaking the ties that bind catches us when we’re fatigued. Though a subtle guitar melody and analogue choruses keep us engaged, the bombastic soundscapes drained us too early.
Bearing that in mind, this is an album of two halves. Though out of order, CASKETS do allow a natural development. Hold Me Now pulls the reins on the runaway train. While the song eventually follows the CASKETS formula, they approach it in a simpler, stripped back manner. Opting for piano and vocals to open, Flood’s “I’ve seen all the faces of you masquerade” hits its mark. The pacing of this song is spectacular, each moving part having room to breathe. It’s the solo which benefits the most as it gives the lamenting of a relationship gone bad a lush peak.
No emotional strike hits harder than The Final Say. Piano and strings set against an electronic beat lays the foundation for darkness. As Flood begins to weave his tale, no one is to be blamed for believing this to be a break up song. So when the true subject of parental abandonment reveals itself, it punches us in the gut. The savage drop into heavy guitars which follows takes us by surprise. This insight into the impact a poor parental relationship can have on a person is brutal.
The heaviness teases here isn’t solely emotional. Lost In Echoes begins the dance. A mind unravels as Flood begs “save me from my sins”. This tragedy unfolds at the midway point with huge strikes of low chords. While it peters out in this instance, Lose Myself immerses CASKETS in hard rock elements. An edgy riff hides beneath cloudy synths. Adopting a faster vocal cadence, Flood draws the listener in to his anxieties. This ensnarement is wonderful when done right, but it feels too late for Lost Souls.
Lost Souls dwells in the ambiguity of a mind seeking purpose. Housing themselves in an already saturated market, CASKETS allow themselves to become lost in the shuffle. They have some great gems hidden within these ghosts, yet there isn’t enough to set themselves ahead of the herd.
Rating: 7/10
Lost Souls is set for release on August 13th via SharpTone Records.
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