On the Eve of a Goodbye

Despite my main tastes in heavy metal being on the more extreme side of things, I always seem to fall in love with bands and albums in the realm of Crimson Glory, Fates Warning and Watchover. This USA one-man project is exactly the case here. The Reticent' s take on heavy metal is a combination of melody and aggression - just like the abovementioned groups - with a twist of acoustic guitar interludes.

The band's performance in this record is quite impressive. An essential part of this album is dedicated towards punchy compositions, a hybrid of a more "brutal" yet melodic sound, while some other pieces follow a more relaxed tone. The mix of fast paced riffs and mellow parts creates a well balanced duality that pushes the envelope in terms of adventurous songwriting. Moreover it is easy to get caught in the mist of the songs continuity. Each and every track flows outstandingly well into the other with no room for tedious fillers; even the medley songs "24 hours left", "10 hours left" and so on succeed in constructing their own atmosphere and contributing in the overall feel.

While the presence of variety and mature songwriting is undoubtable there are certain elements, on this particular record, which feel out of place and inessential . The most obvious for me is the big amount of breakdown-like riffs that often appear on the latter sections of most songs. It is disappointing to see an artist who is able to craft beautiful melodies and solos deciding to dive in uncomfortable rhythmic paths, just for the sake of calling his music "progressive". I do not have much experience with prog rock or metal but I can say surely that having "weird" or "quirky" riffs in your compositions does not mean that you play prog rock or metal.

Another aspect which, unfortunately, lessened my impression is the lyrical content. It is obvious that this album vaguely describes a certain concept : that of a woman's absence and how this is affecting our "hero"; the singer of the album. In defiance of the simple yet dense phrasing, the unnecessarily complex vocabulary unsettles the narration; all that just to give the lines a more "poetic" vibe.

Having pointed out such major flaws I think it is high time I praised a meticulously executed facet; the vocals. Chris is not only a really great composer and guitarist, he also prevails in his vocal performance. Free of novice mistakes, like singing over the riff with no innovation, his clean singing is full of emotion and delivers the whole atmosphere and feelings that the lyrics - in their imperfection - describe. His brutal growls are nothing out of the ordinary but a nice addition to the least.

In its 1 hour and 12 minutes "On the eve of goodbye" does manage to express the ideas and concepts its creator wishes to do so. However the constant effort of trying to conceal its shortcomings, holds it from being something exact and, in some occasions, perfect. Sometimes it is not worth trying too hard. Sometimes keeping things simple is the key.

65/100