SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RESTHAVEN – PRELUDE

RESTHAVEN
PRELUDE
DYSTOPOLIS ARTS

Toronto is a place where local music can be found in abundance. Throughout the city, nearly every night, there’s a local performance or show that can be found if you know where to look. Metal music in particular has a major local scene in the 416, and bands release music left and right, trying to get their music heard by anyone that’s willing to listen. Local Toronto band, Resthaven, is one of those bands. Self-described as “melancholic death”, Resthaven has now returned with their third full album, Prelude.

Prelude is more than an album, it’s clearly meant to be an experience, and it is an experience that only a passionate and dedicated local band can offer. “Forgiveness” starts with a sad melody that evolves into cathartic vocals from Braydan Parsons-Reilly. The steady and heart wrenching riffs from Parsons-Reilly and from Logan Boden, paired with the blasting drums from CD Grind create an emotional experience from the moment the song begins to when it ends. Track “Don’t Look Back” is an interpretive retelling of the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus. The drums from CD, the bass from Billie Rogue and the guitars from Parsons-Reilly and Boden all create an atmospheric storytelling experience that the listener can visualize. Rogue also returns to vocals on this album with “Fear of the Flames,” a pounding and haunting song that will leave listeners headbanging, while also leaving them with a melancholy that lasts until the end of the song. Rogue’s bass and CD’s drums in particular make this song stand out on this tracklist.

This album is not without issue, however, as “They Will Rip You to Shreds” begins a bit suddenly, with no time to take a breath. While this may have been intentional, it can throw listeners a bit off guard, especially after having listened to the heart aching “Forgiveness.” This issue doesn’t affect the listener’s overall enjoyment of the album however, and this album is definitely a strong one.

With their previous release, Lunarwave, having been over a year old now, fans and listeners were due for new music from this band, and the wait was worth it. This album encapsulates their wild and dramatic live energy into an eight-track album and does it amazingly well. A Prelude worth listening to for anyone looking for a new metal album to headbang or cry to.

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