ALBUM REVIEW: Really Good Terrible Things – North Sea Echoes

Fans of Ray Alder and Jim Matheos eat well. Both as a unit and as individuals, their output across four decades is nothing short of bountiful, most notably as part of prog metal pioneers FATES WARNING. On NORTH SEA ECHOES, the latest in their long list of projects, they trade riffs for something more contemplative. Alder’s croon takes centre stage atop Matheos’ sorrowful guitars, resulting in the kind of record perfect for late nights and streetlamp-lit drives.

NORTH SEA ECHOES was born after Matheos began writing for his ambient pet project TUESDAY THE SKY, but felt the music needed a voice. Using When Snow Falls from the last FATES WARNING record as an inspirational reference point, the duo set out to create a record with a similar vibe.

Most of these songs are significant for their restraint; only one stretches past five minutes, notable considering their main outfit’s last album was the longest yet. But that restraint is felt in the compositions too, like on Open Book, an introductory scene setter which refuses to fully take flight. When it sounds as if a chunky riff or a power ballad solo is set to drop, they hold back. It’s an opener that signals their commitment to this melancholic palette, which they mostly stick to throughout. Flowers In Decay is reminiscent of Steven Wilson’s sparser work, and fans of Wilson’s will find Really Good Terrible Things contains familiar ingredients.

There are a couple of detours that split the record in half, preventing the languid mood from becoming too one-note. At the midway point, Empty dusts off the cobwebs and packs a (relative) punch, while The Mission introduces some old-school industrial beats. They do the trick, elevating the material around them with their contrasting elements. What comes before is heavily evocative of ANATHEMA’s most mournful cuts, like on Throwing Stones, a song about cherophobia, the fear of happiness. Those who miss the Liverpudlians’ knack for channeling existential loneliness will appreciate NORTH SEA ECHOES’ minor-key dreamscapes.

When their electronic influences take flight in the record’s back half, there are moments that bring RADIOHEAD’s post-2000 era to mind. Where I’m From’s hush recalls some of the quieter cuts from In Rainbows, as does the ode to homeless travellers No Maps, lyrically leaning into a sense of tragic romanticism. Despite the record’s tonal chilliness, Alder’s soulful voice is like a shooting star scorching across the night sky. Whatever he sings about, his vocals can’t help but provide a blanket of warmth over Matheos’ crystalline guitars.

What’s most striking is the continued wellspring of creativity that continues to pour out of Alder and Matheos. Having collaborated consistently since the late 80s, they haven’t lost any of the drive to explore new territories and follow impulses unfamiliar to them. What could have been another meditative ambient solo record – in no way a slight – is elevated by their partnership, with their collaboration pushing them outside the lines at a time many in their careers are content to stay in their lane. It would be wrong to label Really Good Terrible Things a challenging listen, and fans of musical twists and turns will leave empty-handed. But it is a deep and expansive one, made to get the soul longing, not the blood pumping. Another gem in the pair’s storied careers.

Rating: 7/10

Really Good Terrible Things is set for release on February 23rd via Metal Blade Records.

Like NORTH SEA ECHOES on Facebook.