| CD REVIEW Persistence |
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Band : Persistense Having originally formed in Hertogenbosch during 2000 with a line-up of which only singer Stefan van Vugt remains, Dutch act Persistence (the name derived from an amalgamation of the words “persist” and “intense”, words which certainly typify the band’s music) developed a style of Thrash Metal full of groove, which they would dub “SwingThrash”. After releasing their self-titled 6-track demo EP in 2004 (which got positive reaction from the press) gigging posibilities increased, so things were looking on the up. But smouldering internal problems within the band would lead to line-up changes, and the eventual demise of the band in 2005! Well, the singer wasn’t gonna lay down and play pretty dead, and gradually started looking for people with a likewize spirited musical mind. It took him two years, and many were the line-up changes, but eventually he would find the ideal line-up with guitarists Ralf van der Horst & Jacques Maas, bassist Mark de Haas, and drummer Bram Trommelen. Through the line-up changes also came a subtle change of musical direction towards “…a more powerful, dynamic and diverse kind of Metal. Influences come from different styles of Metal and one of the main goals is to see a song as a song; a decent structure, meaningful lyrics and most of all, a song has to be recornizable…” (from the biography at myspace.com/persistencemetal). With all of the aforementioned in mind, the band recorded 3 songs for their 2008 promo EP, and this got the band positive reviews in several magazines (the most important for the band being that in Dutch leading Metal rag Aardschok, who dubbed the band as “…promising dynamic Groove Metal with a brutal voice…”), which resulted in a bout of gigs (apparently not so easy to attain for a Dutch thrash Metal act, as Stefan has ‘only’ managed to get his band some 60 shows until now) including a support slot with Testament in March…and a deal with Deity Down. The thoughts that went through my mind when first listening to the 9 tracks on this album were, “Nice melodic intro!” and indeed the soundtrackish instrumental shortie (sounds like a Metal act combined with a Philharmonic Orchestra with loàds of horns…hey, and the guys definitely have a thing about soundtracks, samples of one -or more- used in the opening of “Infinite Madness”) is very delectable. Next came first song “Futher”, and that immediately gave an indication of the Death Thrash style the band is playing today. Stefan’s voice is actually rougher than the music, which draws influences at least from melodic Gothenburg Metal. On their MySpace page (which I only got to consult àfter having given the album its couple of spins in the cd-player) influences cited include Lamb Of God, Arch Enemy, Death, and Slayer, so I was pleased to see my original thoughts about the band somewhat vindicated! A nice surprise is the great production (the album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Hans Pieters at Rotterdam’s Excess Studios) which was given to the album overall, allowing Stefan’s lyrics to be recognizable in spite of his vocal stylings. Well, although reading about a band’s music may give the reader an understanding of the musicians’ underlaying intentions, I suppose the best way to get to know a band’s music, is still to listen to it…so why don’t you surf on out to the band’s MySpace, where the guys left 2 tracks off the 2008 promo (new versions on the album) alongside 3 tracks off the album for you to sample and savour (by the way, you can look at a live video of one of the tracks further down the page). End conclusion? Well…Persistence has definitely succeeded in bringing a very nice album, and one is inclined to assess that the breaks and tempo changes are indeed in service of the songs’ structures. I’m also inclined to say that in order for the songs to be memorable, I would have to spend a couple of days with the music on an island, with nothing else than In Blood And Heart to listen to…which might seem like a negative thing to say, but is mentioned in the first place to indicate that Persistence’s music is not, in spite of the fact that one is instantly headbanging along with the tunes, a quick snack to devour. Nay, it is a dish which has to be savoured, eaten with little bits at a time, so as to allow the eager listener the possibility to have each element in the music tickle his/her musical tastebuds! Yeah…definitely an album which has to be allowed to grow on the listener in order for him/her to be able to analyze its contents. And some intelligent lyrics to boot! 90/100 Tony. |