Genre/Influences: Metal-pop, indie-pop/rock.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: The British duo Kyle J. Wilson (singer, producer) – Kieran Thornton (guitar) strikes back with their third full length to date. “Insurgence” features fourteen songs featuring an intro plus two so-called ‘interludes’.
Content: I experienced the band’s previous album “From Now On I” as a mix between gothic- and metal music. The metal riffs are still running through this new opus, but the gothic style feels a bit like being replaced by a catchier and ‘pop’-driven approach. Most of the songs remain pretty powerful, the menacing guitar playing boosting the global production, but most of the choruses have something catchy and melodic. There also is a song featuring female backings while the final track has something pretty Rammstein-minded.
+ + + : I experienced this new album as more original than its predecessor. Don’t get me wrong, Auger is not composing pop music, but the metal power has been a little bit polished and refined by catchy arrangements and melodic leads. The last song “We Are Auger!” is there to remind us this band isn’t making ‘music for sissies’! The guitar playing has something elevating, which together with some of the choruses creates an apotheosis. The charismatic vocals of Kyle J. Wilson are perfectly matching with the global power of the production.
– – – : The short intermezzos bring some seconds of rest, but aren’t exactly necessary nor efficient. Some songs from the second part of the work are a little bit soft, but the last song makes it all good.
Conclusion: Auger moves on exploring different ways to mix metal influences together with other styles.
Best songs: “We Are Auger!”, “Tell Me Wrong feat. Imogen Evans”, “Who Can Help Me Now”, “November Engel”.
Rate: (7).
Artist: www.auger.band / www.facebook.com/AugerUK
Label: www.darktunes.com / www.facebook.com/darkTunesMusic
Since you’re here … … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive. If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 2 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
