Calling Apollo – ‘Hunter / Gatherer’ [Review]
What a difference a year makes.
Fans of Arcane Roots, Coheed And Cambria, Deftones, and SikTh are guaranteed to find something to love inside this EP. Calling Apollo may make their influences obvious, but they’re playing with a wicked mix of punchy riffs, well-defined tones, and great songcraft. It’s certainly a leap forward from 2014’s Clone City.
Although the vocals feel less forced and more natural than on Clone City, there’s still a bit of a band-in-development vibe going on here. There’s so much attention to detail that respect is certainly due, along with cool and quirky touches (such as the flickering electronics which open fourth track Monsters) that mark Calling Apollo out as ones to watch; but at the same time, these guys do drop the ball at a crucial moment. Monsters misses a trick, building anticipation for a super-hench Muse-style riff and letting it drift off into a self-indulgent live-in-the-studio feedback session instead. Considering all the incredible momentum and excitement built up by winners like Hunter, In This City, and Chemical Breaker, it’s a prime example of a tiny mistake which could cause some listeners to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Fortunately, final track Gatherer quickly recovers with a beautifully arranged piece of songwriting which quickly becomes this EP’s highlight before a truly sick tapping display heralds sky-bound guitars and low-key strumming and the end of what is, at the end of the day, an entertaining and moving journey. Give it another year, and Calling Apollo will be a force to be reckoned with. Guaranteed.
TMMP RATING: 78%
Links / Listen
Calling Apollo on Facebook and Twitter.
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