Black Map - 'Melodoria' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Chasms

2. Super Deluxe

3. Nothing Over Me

4. Capture The Flag

5. Madness

6. Witching Hour

7. Left For Dead

8. In The Wires

9. Burnout (Do You Mind?)

10. Melodoria

This is one of those albums that sneak up on you and worm their way in, first listen I thought this is good but I’m not sure how good. Every listen found it worming its way further into my consciousness and settle in to to my brain in a way I didn’t expect it to.

This bands deals in loud guitars, bass that feels almost primordial and some quality Rock drumming but they also produce moments of quiet introspection with a lead singer who has a proper Rock voice that can both be a call to arms and produce moments of genuine emotion but with a feel throughout of alienation and dystopian nightmare. By the end of listening and writing this review I realised I’d been listening to something that I’m going to listen to again and again.

This album has the riffs, the attitude, the changes of pace, that all great bands need to be masters of and, most importantly, just top quality songs. It’s surely destined for greater things. What I find particularly impressive is I kept thinking I’ve heard these songs before, because surely someone must have written this already but they haven’t, it’s that good.

The production is excellent throughout but it never feels overproduced, it always feels like they’ve pushed it to just the right spot and stopped. The atmosphere created and the diversity of the music will make you wonder if this is several different bands, it’s not, it’s one who are masters of their art.

Black Map are a proper Rock band with hints of many different artists but they are all their own band. I’m not sure if they have toured the UK yet but if they do I will be going. This is an awesome album and I can’t wait to hear it live! If you like music that’s heartfelt, passionate and you can listen to again and again this is an album for you.