Rocker (feedbot)
Platinum Member
Two is company. Three is a crowd. But what is a band? In recent years it has become difficult to say. Once upon a time you needed a band to write, to record, to be a band. Now, modern technologies and online spaces allow you to exist as a creative entity without that burden. It’s a trend, possibly accelerated by lockdown, but one thing is for sure, it has led to some stunning music.
Future Palace are a trio, two men and a female singer. It’s a setup similar to bands like Yonaka or Exploring Birdsong, except their music leans more towards metalcore. You might even call it post-metalcore; a mix of weighty riffs and big choruses, like a heavier take on hard-rock.
Manuel Kohlert, the trio’s guitarist, is largely responsible for the music. He favours big, groove-based riffs with occasional synths to add an extra dimension to songs like ‘Deep Blue’ and ‘Tidal Wave’. It’s a strong sound but relatively indistinct. There are plenty of reasons for this; the guitar tones, the synth styles, the sound mix. Basically, if you’ve explored this type of music before, it’ll feel familiar. Importantly though, it all sounds good.
This is the band’s fourth record. Interestingly their 2024 album ‘Distortion’ featured guest vocals from Charlie Rolfe of As Everything Unfolds. The two bands make similar music. It is easy to compare the two, particularly on songs like ‘Ebb And Flow’ and ‘Nixy’ which have a stronger keyboard element and push them into the same vein. The difference between their two sounds is intention. This is less distinct but goes so much harder.
The introduction, ‘Deep Blue’, almost feels like a tease towards the second track, ‘Resurge’, which establishes the record’s overall tone. It has a strong backbone and scratching record sounds that give it an early Papa Roach vibe, but it’s the rhythm that makes it so powerful. Everything, including the screamed vocals, marches at the same pace, making it sound absolutely massive. Once the ball is rolling, the record gains momentum, becoming a series of impressive peaks. Despite the record not feeling particularly distinctive overall, each song is great in its own right and, because the quality is so consistently high, it’s an easy album to listen to. It’s also easy to recommend.
As if to counteract the album’s overly familiar sound, each of the individual songs has its own flavour. A good example is the leading single ‘Supernova’, which deploys a wicked electronic pulsing that might remind you of Aphex Twin or, again, the synths under ‘Ebb And Flow’. They all excel at giving the vocals something to fight against, it gives them their power.
Maria Lessing is a stunning vocalist. She could sing over the buzz of a piece of tracing paper wrapped around a comb and you’d be mesmerised. Not just because she’s a great singer, or because she can really scream, or that she can easily juggle a variety of styles, but because of the way she constructs her vocal parts. Every song here has a compelling verse and a chorus that grips you by both ears. Each is affecting and varied, with songs like ‘Tidal Wave’ or ‘Disintegrate’ feeling so emotional that they drag you into their orbit. The speedy, snappy ‘Nixy’ gives her opportunity to play with a pop-punk chorus. This hugely contrasts the screams on ‘Resurge’, and particularly the breakdown section of ‘Cyclone’, where she barks like a rabid dog – it’s absolutely vicious.
Obviously, being a trio, the work of the band’s drummer, Johannes Früchtenicht is essential in giving the songs shape and definition. It’s both tasteful and restrained, and the clever use of blastbeats gives the riffs added power.
Although the term ‘Rap Metal’ seems to have fallen out of favour, it’s the perfect description of the simple drum beat and snappy bars that define ‘The Shades’. It’s also another display of Lessing’s vocal power and proves the band can be versatile while still playing in the same sandbox.
While the record flows effortlessly, at track nine they encounter “the ‘Nightfall’ problem.” With a huge emotional chorus and a sobbing, sweaty screaming section, it’s such a gut-wrenching piece of catharsis that it feels like an ending, seemingly leaving the album nowhere to go. Yet, they seize the opportunity, using the gentle, glimmery synth parts that open ‘Symphony Of Clouds’ to usher momentum back in, bringing with it an air of grandeur. This continues with the piano-based ballad ‘Tidal Wave’, which, as its name suggests, crashes down in a huge emotional cascade. This leaves ‘Cyclone’ to close out the record. With a huge, bassy guitar riff – and a brilliant, heartrending chorus – it provides one final burst of emotion, making it easily one of their strongest songs, ending the album on its highest possible note.
The word ‘Resurgence’ means coming back stronger. It’s the perfect title for Future Palace’s fourth record, their strongest and most consistent work yet.
IAN KENWORTHY
Future Palace are a trio, two men and a female singer. It’s a setup similar to bands like Yonaka or Exploring Birdsong, except their music leans more towards metalcore. You might even call it post-metalcore; a mix of weighty riffs and big choruses, like a heavier take on hard-rock.
Manuel Kohlert, the trio’s guitarist, is largely responsible for the music. He favours big, groove-based riffs with occasional synths to add an extra dimension to songs like ‘Deep Blue’ and ‘Tidal Wave’. It’s a strong sound but relatively indistinct. There are plenty of reasons for this; the guitar tones, the synth styles, the sound mix. Basically, if you’ve explored this type of music before, it’ll feel familiar. Importantly though, it all sounds good.
This is the band’s fourth record. Interestingly their 2024 album ‘Distortion’ featured guest vocals from Charlie Rolfe of As Everything Unfolds. The two bands make similar music. It is easy to compare the two, particularly on songs like ‘Ebb And Flow’ and ‘Nixy’ which have a stronger keyboard element and push them into the same vein. The difference between their two sounds is intention. This is less distinct but goes so much harder.
The introduction, ‘Deep Blue’, almost feels like a tease towards the second track, ‘Resurge’, which establishes the record’s overall tone. It has a strong backbone and scratching record sounds that give it an early Papa Roach vibe, but it’s the rhythm that makes it so powerful. Everything, including the screamed vocals, marches at the same pace, making it sound absolutely massive. Once the ball is rolling, the record gains momentum, becoming a series of impressive peaks. Despite the record not feeling particularly distinctive overall, each song is great in its own right and, because the quality is so consistently high, it’s an easy album to listen to. It’s also easy to recommend.
As if to counteract the album’s overly familiar sound, each of the individual songs has its own flavour. A good example is the leading single ‘Supernova’, which deploys a wicked electronic pulsing that might remind you of Aphex Twin or, again, the synths under ‘Ebb And Flow’. They all excel at giving the vocals something to fight against, it gives them their power.
Maria Lessing is a stunning vocalist. She could sing over the buzz of a piece of tracing paper wrapped around a comb and you’d be mesmerised. Not just because she’s a great singer, or because she can really scream, or that she can easily juggle a variety of styles, but because of the way she constructs her vocal parts. Every song here has a compelling verse and a chorus that grips you by both ears. Each is affecting and varied, with songs like ‘Tidal Wave’ or ‘Disintegrate’ feeling so emotional that they drag you into their orbit. The speedy, snappy ‘Nixy’ gives her opportunity to play with a pop-punk chorus. This hugely contrasts the screams on ‘Resurge’, and particularly the breakdown section of ‘Cyclone’, where she barks like a rabid dog – it’s absolutely vicious.
Obviously, being a trio, the work of the band’s drummer, Johannes Früchtenicht is essential in giving the songs shape and definition. It’s both tasteful and restrained, and the clever use of blastbeats gives the riffs added power.
Although the term ‘Rap Metal’ seems to have fallen out of favour, it’s the perfect description of the simple drum beat and snappy bars that define ‘The Shades’. It’s also another display of Lessing’s vocal power and proves the band can be versatile while still playing in the same sandbox.
While the record flows effortlessly, at track nine they encounter “the ‘Nightfall’ problem.” With a huge emotional chorus and a sobbing, sweaty screaming section, it’s such a gut-wrenching piece of catharsis that it feels like an ending, seemingly leaving the album nowhere to go. Yet, they seize the opportunity, using the gentle, glimmery synth parts that open ‘Symphony Of Clouds’ to usher momentum back in, bringing with it an air of grandeur. This continues with the piano-based ballad ‘Tidal Wave’, which, as its name suggests, crashes down in a huge emotional cascade. This leaves ‘Cyclone’ to close out the record. With a huge, bassy guitar riff – and a brilliant, heartrending chorus – it provides one final burst of emotion, making it easily one of their strongest songs, ending the album on its highest possible note.
The word ‘Resurgence’ means coming back stronger. It’s the perfect title for Future Palace’s fourth record, their strongest and most consistent work yet.
IAN KENWORTHY