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Vespers 9 True Story Review by Gary Hill Perhaps this doesn’t fit under heavy metal. Certainly, it lands on the modern pop based side of that equation. I guess I’m okay with landing it there because it’s similar to a lot of music that gets called metal in the nu-metal tradition. I will say that, although this leans a bit too heavy on the pop music side of things for my tastes, there is some good stuff here. The female vocals (when they appear prominently – and that’s not every song) really add a lot to the mix. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Mystery There’s an epic metal vibe to the introduction here. That gives way to more of a mainstream nu-metal meets straight rock sound for the chorus.

Never Enough I love the metal groove on this thing. The chorus is, again, more mainstream rock. That lands this in the realm of nu-metal to me. It’s got some meaty guitar soloing.

Forever Yours This lands more on the nu-metal mainstream rock side of epic metal. It’s another good one. The mid-section, with its female vocals really reinforces that epic metal thing.

Walk With Me One of the most effective pieces here, I love the combination of male and female vocals. This is definitely modern mainstream pop based nu-metal. It’s quite strong, too. At times the female voice really reminds me of Heart.

Broken Wings This cover tune lends a balladic rock vibe to the album. It’s a mellower number with an almost Latin rhythm section. I like the variety this lends. I think I like this better than I like the original.

Waiting for You The same mainstream pop music meets modern metal vibe is on this one. It’s a good tune, but a little generic. Additionally, the formula is starting to wear a bit thin. This is one of the mellower, more melodic pieces.

True Story Although the title track is still in the modern, pop oriented metal sound, it’s more metal than some of the rest. It’s got some killer crunch paired with a catchy vocal arrangement.

Alone With You There’s an almost proggy element to this bluesy rocker. It’s definitely not metal, but it’s a good bit of variety. It’s also one of the strongest tunes here. It does move toward metal in some of the later sections. There is some particularly noteworthy guitar soloing on this.

Remember My Name The first parts of this are basically set in a power ballad approach. It works out to some killer crunch from there. This is one of the best pieces here. It has a great vocal arrangement and some scorching metallic sound. It does a nice job being dynamic between alternating between the mellower and crunchier sections.

Heart Wide Open More of a straightahead metal tune, this thing screams out of the gate. It does have more of a catchy chorus section, though.

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