Album Review: Departures (UK) - When Losing Everything Is Everything You Wanted

My first thought, wondering whether the replacement of was with is in the album title is intentional was immediately stricken from my brain once Departures’ More Than Life-esque sound kicked in. In fact I would go as far to say that this band is superior to their contemporaries, the tightness of their arrangement certainly qualifies them for this and the fact that their songs can sound both polished and raw is quite remarkable.

The melody of the guitars and the beautifully arranged drums really sits well with me amongst the well refined screams, which really become the icing on the cake for some really sharp melodies, in fact, if riffs could be witty, Departures have the Stephen Fry of guitar parts.

The outro to ‘A Life In Pieces’ in particular sits nicely after the excursion of angst that it had a hard job following, nostalgic in the fact that it reminds me of bands that have since turned to the dark side. (You know who I mean.)

The haunting whispers that introduce ‘Fear of Falling’ as well are perfectly placed, and the disparities between the electric and acoustic guitars make for both a relaxing and thought provoking intermission.

In fact the only part of this album that isn’t both fun and enthralling is in ‘Midnight Lights’ where the instruments fade to the screams over and acoustic guitar, a minor point however, amongst the gems that sit with it and the balls of the song it closes.

This record in general in fact, really does have the aggression, the speed and the power that I love about this blend of metal and punk (a blend I am incredibly grateful for). The fact that it’s due to be released on limited edition vinyl should get a certain cultist crowd excited also, but that’s not the reason you should check out this record.

You should check out this record because it was truly a pleasure to listen to, its mastery of both melody and angst is intertwined to perfection and I personally intend on adding this to my record collection.

5/5

'When Losing Everything Is Everything You Wanted' by Departures (UK) is released on June 13th through Fist In The Air Records.

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Edward Strickson