Hailing from Cobh, Co Cork, Forbidden Son are a 4 piece Hard Rock/Heavy Metal outfit with a wealth of experience to their benefit. The band are certainly prolific with two previous releases (”Self Titled” -2006, and “The Balance of All Good and Evil” - 2007) already behind them. This latest release “Arise” features 4 tracks, one of which (”Sweetest of Sympathy”) has been featured on recent compilation that has seen a stateside and internet release. Not bad for a small unsigned band from the west of Ireland!

So on to the music…

Though this is essentially a solid effort with much to admire musically it is not without fault (to be discussed later). “Bleed” opens the EP nicely, there is some strong themes to be heard early on…I feel the chorus is particularly infectious. The midsection is a little curious, perhaps taking away from the flow of the song but it is definitly interesting and shows a willingness to experiment.

“Reflect The Night” for me is a double edged sword. It features some nice ideas musically but I feel that perhaps the band are feeling the weight of their own ambition with regard to some of the more complex rhythmic patterns…particularly early on (there is quite a noticable drag on the tempo in the more complex sections). Special mention must go to the lead work, very well played indeed.

“Sweetest of Sympathy” is perhaps the most complete of the songs on offer. There are some very strong themes throughout and the vocal delivery is admirable. Perhaps there are a few too many drum patterns, again sometimes the ambition of the band weighs a little too heavily. Very good track though and again there is some great lead work to be heard.

The instrumental “Arise” brings to the E.P. to a close in fine fashion. It weaves through various tempos and themes showcasing the talent on offer. Make no mistake…these guys can play and they can play well. There are some excellent riffs…the riff after the Death Metalesque section must get a mention….very cool.

So, its a strong E.P. with great musicianship and some stellar songwriting…what were these faults mentioned earlier? Well, for me, my main criticism is levelled at the production. The vocals are a little lost, drowned in reverb for the most part and the guitars dont really crunch enough. Theres just not enough “power” in this mix… for want of a better word. Hopefully future recording will address this balance because there is a ton of potential here.

The Good: Great musicianship. Some strong songwriting. Nice lead work. The entire “Arise” track.

The Bad: Production could be better. Perhaps a little too clever at times when its not neccessary. Some tempo issues.

IMF Score: 3.75/5

Check out Forbidden Son at http://www.bebo.com/forbiddenson

If you like what you hear you can purchase their E.P. via I Tunes. (Its worth it for the title track alone!)

Support Irish Metal!

Content contributed by the Irish Metal Fansite of bebo http://www.bebo.com/Masvidal

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 at 3:56 pm and is filed under CD Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.