On their debut, ‘Without Wonderland’, Scottish pop-rock quartet Altered Sky spread explorations of relationships, reflections on life’s hard knocks and the essence of self-belief thickly across a backdrop of excitable tempos and memorable melodies that make for radio friendly listening.
Produced by Romesh Dodangoda at Longwave Studios in Cardiff, ‘Without Wonderland’ has a punk edge with lots of bite. The album crashes in, punchy and upbeat, with This War Is Mine. Vocalist Ana Nowosielska commandeers the album as her own, with her range excellent and her lyrical delivery identifiable and refreshing. It's difficult not to make comparisons and similarities are evident between her voice and Paramore’s Hayley Williams and perhaps even Avril Lavigne.
Following the opening track, Stupid In The Dark keeps the listener hooked and glad that the tempo is maintained. More of the same, at this stage, is completely acceptable. This bass-driven song is a great cocktail of fast and slow, with an anthemic chorus and a fine balance of melancholy tones and catchy riffs.
And so it goes on for the next few songs, the band bouncing along with the gritty chugging of Richard Passe’s staccato guitar riffs and the throb of Ross Archibald’s bass. Bury It All was the first single taken from the album, but in truth all the songs are of a similar calibre and many of them worthy of consideration to stand alone.
Live For It drives in and out of chorus and verse with Nowosielska’s hungry vocals punctuated by bursts of attitude. A guitar solo cuts in as an unexpected tease just before the close but lasts merely as an echo, leaving us hopeful of more. Livewire is a gutsy song with a mean hook, certain to get punters jumping.
By the time Songbird arrives, it is more than clear that Nowosielska is the dominant factor on the album. That said, the whole package displays carefully-buffed polish and it is in soaring songs such as this one that the listener benefits from its uplifting, liberating qualities.
As if by magic, Imagine Adventure appears and changes the album’s course at the right time. Stripped back to basics, piano and vocals gel beautifully. This is suitably followed by Waves, where poignancy is added by synth intervals. White Witch, though, snaps back into a heavier sound once again and leaves us pretty much where we started.
‘Without Wonderland’ is fast paced, loud and as inexhaustible as Amy Blair’s boundless drumming. There is a driving rhythm, even if it’s a little samey, beneath all of its songs to complement the focus on the strength of Nowosielska’s vocals and melodies. An album that will undoubtedly appeal to young fans of pop-punk, it is squeaky clean, inoffensive and one to look forward to as the band take it on tour.
Altered Sky Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu November 26 2015 - BASINGSTOKE Sanctuary
Fri November 27 2015 - CHELTENHAM Two Pigs
Sat November 28 2015 - CARDIFF Undertone
Sun November 29 2015 - BIRMINGHAM Rainbow
Mon November 30 2015 - GLASGOW G2
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