ALBUM REVIEW: Unity – Midgar
People withdraw from the world for a number of reasons. Grief, depression, and any number of addictions pull us inside ourselves. In due course, there comes a time when you need to return, open up to life again. June 25th marks the beginning of a new chapter for MIDGAR, with the long awaited album Unity.
Andy Wilson-Taylor, mastermind of the project, faded away after 2013’s Holographic Principle. Recruiting Greg McPherson (INME) for the bass parts, it was time for MIDGAR to be reborn. The start of which comes in the form of Prelude. A delicate piano melody feels like the sunrise. Strings further brighten inky skies, their dulcet tones leaking through the window. Prelude’s sun rises above the horizon to the tune of booming drums. Such majesty leaves us waiting for Wilson-Taylor’s voice with baited breath.
“Speechless, I can’t feel my hand on my heart” leads us into Ascension. The soft, quiet nature to the vocals contrast the shade of darkening strings. Elements of rock derived bass and drums blend seamlessly with the orchestra. The resurrection completes with a scream of pain, setting the tone for an emotional hour.
Unity is a chronicle of Wilson-Taylor’s life since Holographic Principle. We Don’t Make The Rules tells of incarceration in a nightmare where you have no autonomy. The darkness within the harsh guitars ensnare us like the elusive captor. While the verses are morose, the desperation to break free is never far away. Sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement, Nemesis is an assault on authority. “You’re supposed to protect us, not pillage and rape us”, Wilson-Taylor yells. Those lyrics, and Nemesis as a whole, house ever renewing resentment. This juddering rage feels out of place but this call to arms will stay with us long after first listen.
Nemesis focuses on outward frustration. Yet the turmoil in the rest of the album refers to parties closer to home. Disciple is a brutal look into the hellscape of addiction. “It breaks me just to know that I’m close to you” has the protagonist crippled by desire for another hit. Layers of vocal harmonies sizzle through this slow burn. Subtle hints of groove rock slip into the bass laden track. Disciple’s interlude burns as a single flame. As if spreading the fire across an oil slicked floor, strings sweep and swell. McPherson’s bass adds small explosions of trinkets shattering in the heat. Ember turns to inferno as a scream reminiscent of modern metal rattles Disciple. Circling the drain, the song ends with a heaviness we can’t escape. Much like an addict, Disciple deceives us as what we take for dual guitars is actually a second bass in disguise.
Reflecting in darkness brings moments of clarity. The desire to be a better person as time ticks by. Sunburn tears up MIDGAR’s rulebook by being bright and airy. “It’s time to put away the fear and doubt” opens the world up to us yet renders us vulnerable to the prospect of further hurt. Vocal harmonies blend together like rich morning coffee. Strings flutter through the verses, warming our souls with small victories. Isle Of Glass further breaches our walls. An orchestral piece, this mystical song reintroduces us to the idea of love. The softness of Wilson-Taylor’s voice holds a vulnerability no one knows until they feel it. Isle Of Glass has no heaviness or solos to light the sky. Though, these understated “castles in the sky” will move even the hardest of souls.
While Unity tells one tale of turning life around, the story is universal. The title track sweeps us away in its majesty. Rolling drums within nostalgia laced guitars make the song sadder than intended. Yet the lyrics spin the yarn of finally feeling alive again. Whether we like to admit it, is that not what we crave? The happy endings of other people’s stories? Happiness within other people gives us hope for ourselves. To have that, we have to be honest. Break our negative cycles. Be vulnerable and open ourselves up to the truth we will will experience pain more than once. MIDGAR take us on a journey through that process and reminds us of one simple fact. Life opens up when you do.
Rating: 8/10
Unity is set for release on June 25th via Year Of The Rat Records.
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