WhiteMoor - Pause and Effect
- Written by Zoe Wallbank
WhiteMoor have returned to the fray with their latest album, Pause And Effect.
The opening track is perfect for this band. It’s attention grabbing, with a light Disney-like opening instrumental, that leads into a guitar heavy rock song. An interesting technique but one that works well and is refreshingly new in this genre. It’s a good rock song that will hold the attention of any rock fan, making them want to listen to the whole album.
That being said, the album starts to get repetitive. It’s a good rock album with heavy but catchy melodies, but all of it sounds too similar, with melodies so loud it is sometimes difficult to really hear and understand the lyrics, causing some tracks to merge together. The album does slowly get more chilled out throughout, a needed transition and one they do well, maybe the tracks just needed to be re-ordered to avoid this problem.
In contrast, the melodies (limited as they may be) are excellent, from heavy guitar lead tracks in ‘Be The Last’ and ‘Masquerade’ to infectious drumming shown in ‘A Cage For The Animals’ and even a hint of techno in ‘Dark Sparks’.
The lyrics when clear are inspiring and very honest. The most inspiring being ‘God Help The Queen’ which contains lyrics such as: “Today is my time to make a move” and “Long live the King”. The raw honesty in these lyrics could draw in a wider audience, particularly with the variety of topics this album covers. For example: abusive relationships in ‘Only Human’ (“If he’s only human / He knows what he’s doing / And you’ve don’t need to live this lie or hurt inside”); unrequited love in ‘Codes’ shown through lyrics such as: “In my mind I thought you’d be loved / And let me be your house” and “Can’t make you love me”; to love in ‘She Makes Me Fly’ which has the beautifully sweet lyrics: “Tonight when she starts to cry / My lullaby will take away the loneliness she’s been living in.”
Overall, it’s a good album with a lot of potential, but has some issues that might limit its success.