A Tale Of Sin & Sorrow is the first full-length studio album from Welsh rock band EVERYDAY HEROES. Wales Online has announced EVERYDAY HEROES as one of the eleven most exciting bands/artists in Newport and this album hopes to cement that statement. If you are a fan of Southern rock, this is an album for you!
The band have stated that the inspiration for A Tale of Sin & Sorrow came from “research into the Camino Pilgrimage in North-Western Spain, which Dan eventually undertook”. The band went on to explain “Many of the albums’ themes and characters imagery draw a direct comparison to the wonderful mythology of this ancient expedition.”
The opening track on the album, Texas Red, sets the scene instantly. Images of the desert entered my mind as soon as the track began. The Southern Rock influences are apparent; especially with Jay Haines’ thumping drum beats plus Luke Phillips’ and Daniel Richards’ slow guitar riffs. I found myself tapping my foot along very quickly. Phillips’ gritty vocals and some heavy guitar riffs add up to make a great opening track.
The album continues with Find My Way, which builds upon the already established sound of the album. More heavy guitar riffs and foot-tapping drum beats. Another good song with a really catchy chorus. Also, the guitar solo is brilliant!
Standing Stones, the band’s first single off the album, has a slightly heavier sound. I can see why EVERYDAY HEROES chose Stepping Stones as their first single – it packs the biggest punch of the album. Phillips’ vocals are at their best on this track.
The fourth track of the album, The Witch’s King, has the catchiest intro of the album at this point. The use of a pedal to manipulate the guitar sounds adds a new dynamic, which I hadn’t noticed on the album until this point. The track continues with more of the Southern rock style guitar riffs.
Soul to Save, Victorious (Take My Chains) and All Outta Faith follow, continuing with similar guitar riffs and more guitar solos. By this point, I was becoming fatigued by the album and was hoping for a change in the albums’ pace. I was beginning to find the album slightly repetitive.
Almost as if EVERYDAY HEROES heard my prayer. The next track, The Crow, provides the much-needed change in pace to a slow, acoustic intro that I found refreshing. Quite possibly my favourite track of the album, lyrically and musically. The Crow is a fantastic song.
After a short break, the album resumes with the southern rock sounds with the track Breathe Again. Although, after the break, I was ready for more! This was provided in the album’s penultimate track West Of Forever.
The conclusion of A Tale of Sin & Sorrow is the track Without A Throne. The rhythm here is second to none and is one of my preferred tracks of the album. It provides a nice closure to the story being told throughout the album.
EVERYDAY HEROES have produced a nice sounding album that is full of energy and they are clearly all very talented musicians – from the well-executed drum beats to the guitar solos. However, I found myself feeling fatigued throughout the entire middle section of the album, which left a handful of tracks unmemorable to me.
I am confident that this album will be popular with the right people, maybe which just isn’t myself as I feel that it doesn’t bring anything new to the table which hasn’t been done before. Personally, I would have liked to hear something a bit more from EVERYDAY HEROES to impress me more.
Rating: 6/10
Words: Jack Andrews
A Tale Of Sin & Sorrow is out this Friday.
Find EVERYDAY HEROES on Facebook.
