Album Review :
Revival Hymns - Feathers

Artist: Revival Hymns

Album: Feathers

Record Label:  I.Corrupt.Records, Lionheart Records

Reviewer: Mitch Emerick

1. Arms Replaced With Steel
2. Path Of Grace
3. O Stranger
4. Spew
5. J’adore
6. Enough To Me
7. Crusoe Metamorphosis

The music industry is not a fair industry. New bands can blow up fast while other bands, sometimes more talented bands, are struggling to make it to the next city. The sad thing is that a person can judge a band just by looking at the number of “likes” on their facebook. I am not going to lie though, when I saw that Finland’s own Revival Hymns only had 277 likes on their facebook I was skeptical. Not knowing what to expect I took a listen and I was surprised. A band that claims “death” as one of their influences surely wrote an album, “Feathers”, that magnifies the basis of life and death both through their music and their lyrics.

When looking at the times of these songs, you know that “Feathers” is meant to be a journey to be started from track one and taken all the way to track seven. The music runs into itself but that is what seems to be the intention. What feels like instrumental musical writing with melodic vocal singing filling out the sound can be similar to bands like Radiohead, Explosions In The Sky, and pops of heavy guitar parts like O’Brother. With songs full of minored to even diminished chords and subtle time signature changes with a flow makes Revival Hymns a band that can make an impact on the music scene in America soon.

The introduction to “Feathers” is a calm, little plucked out riff being picked up but a sweeping delayed lead for the first fifty seconds of the first track “Arms Replaced With Steel”. An Explosions in the Sky type feel being lifted with Radiohead and O’Brother type melodies till suddenly a diminished guitar section leads the song into a chorus like part. It is like being dragged up the rails on a roller coaster like Space Mountain (If you have been on the ride you know what I mean), only the let off is slow paced and dreamy. Layers of guitar delays and drum beats with a subtle bass in the background surround your ears leaving no empty space. Not a big sound, but enough so that there is more to discover upon every listen.

While listening to “Feathers” do not expect to much of a mainstream vibe from Revival Hymns. This music can be placed in TV and movies however cannot be marketed as any thing pop. The songs run, for the most part, longer then six minutes excluding “Path Of Grace” and “J’adore” the latter being an instrumental track. For a seven song album this album lasts forty minutes, however unlike other albums with such concepts, everything has a nice flow throughout “Feathers”. Even with the time signature changes, for the most part, do not feel odd and are transitioned into without reproach. Songs like “Path Of Grace” and “Spew” have some nicely placed time changes.

“Feathers” has a lot of great aspects circulating for seven tracks including vocals. Classic European sounding vocals with well developed melodies that flow with the music. They are not too original, however blend well with the music surrounding them. There is not too many interval skips with the melodies but the flow from note to note create a trance like illusion combined with what is being played.

Overall: This album may not be perfect in the eyes of listeners who want short, decently developed, songs but Revival Hymns have created a gem with their release of “Feathers”. Long songs but there is a flow with them that makes them seem not as long as they are. They play around with keys and time signatures, keeping the listener on their toes through out this forty minute journey. This is an album that should be checked out if you are into artsy and well developed music instrumentally and vocally.