Nord The Only Way to Reach the Surface, JF 7/21/20

Aww yes, a blank Word doc. Clean slate. I am going to try and write 3 reviews in 30 minutes, see if it’s possible…it’s 10:30 pm.

I am 3 beers deep, so please forgive the mistakes. I am getting to the point where I am truly happy. Anxiety is a weak foe now. I still care a ton though about personal feedback, that’ll be the next challenge, to not really care what people think, but be cool with it. Getting there. Caligula’s (the next review) was a huge test for me!

But…one of the albums that was well received by the Metal Bros…Nord, released an impressive debut with The Only Way to Reach the Surface. “This town is a coffin…Dreams are the only way to touch your perfections.”

Buckle up for the best French vocalist I can think of. “Love” is such a gentle intro and perfectly placed, as this is, in my opinion, actually an emo album.

Violent Shapes opens up with a blast beat into an epic song setup Segway into “and we’re falling down…you can’t tell me what to do.” Nord shows off in the first track. Nodes of black metal, hardcore, progressive song structure, epic lead vocal sections, and a djenty show off section. And…it’s over! To be honest I am surprised they fit all that into just over 4 minutes.

And, major change into “Circular Haze.” Wow violins into some lounge chill music, did not expect that. Originality is there, and it’s surprisingly not pretentious.

The Unstoppable is a perfect 4th track, finally showing some teeth. The French lead singer shines in this track, not sure if he is also responsible for the screams, but if so, what a diverse palette this guy brings. From “your presence is everything” to “please let me take a breath…” is an album defining vocalist section.

Ok the rest is up to you if you’re interested in continuing on.