Album Review: Control the Storm – Forevermore (Self Released)

Control the Storm are a UK based melodic metal band that have been going from strength to strength since winning Reading’s ‘Metal to the Masses’ competition to play Bloodstock Open Air in 2012.

Forevermore is a dynamic journey of Melodic Metal with vocals by the insanely talented Firouzeh. The album takes the listener through a variety of subjects including World War II, The Garden of Eden, Social Media, Egyptian Curses and more.

Forevermore will be released on July 25th 2019 as a 9 track CD and digital download. It will also be available as a 7-track Vinyl LP.

A super bombastic start tells you plenty about Control the Storm if you’re unaware of just who they are. The symphonic build at the start of Darkest Fantasy is the soundtrack to looking out and seeing dark clouds rolling in. The storm is coming and it threatens to wash everything and everyone away. The drums crack like thunder and the guitars crash down like lightening strikes getting the opener well and truly underway.

Led by a powerful vocal performance, Darkest Fantasy is a thrilling start with an absolutely killer chorus. Top end melodic metal expelled by a supremely confident sounding band.

Two melodic metal bombs follow in Strike to Defend and New Era. The former a full on speed-metal effort and the latter a dream-like trip that powers forward on wheels of hefty riffs. Super-tight and consistently high tempo, the power exuded in the brilliance of Follow Me and its chorus is astonishing.

How do you follow that? By delivering the sombre ballad, In the Night before Chaotic Mind proves to be just as good. A slow start gives way to some outstanding guitar work that speeds everything up. Faster and wilder, it’s a strong showcase of every instrument but the vocals before those do arrive to lift a great track to a bloody great track. It’s so good and makes you feel ten feet tall.

As does Hidden Wonder, a showcase of guitars and drums blended expertly with melody and Curse of the Voiceless, although that one is a little darker and ominous sounding.

Then we get bagpipes in the title track, a 13+ minute epic. What a grand track it is.

Bagpipes! More metal, especially melodic metal needs more bagpipes and Control the Storm absolutely kill it here with them. The beat coming across as a march to battle. When the tempo does pick up, they’re not lost instead picking up in the background on occasion while letting the guitars, drums and vocals do the work. What an absolute beast of a track this is and the flashes of symphonic sounds and effects really add a lot to it overall.

Unsurprisingly, the track has a few shifts throughout, one that sees the vocals get a a little cheeky and gothic. Have we said just how incredible the vocals are throughout Forevermore? Gobsmacking. Then there is the piano melody and male spoken word latter half that builds in fist pumping style to an classy end.

Control the Storm – Forevermore Full Track Listing:

1. Darkest Fantasy
2. Strike to Defend
3. New Era
4. Follow me
5. In the Night
6. Chaotic Mind
7. Hidden Wonder
8. Curse of the Voiceless
9. Forevermore

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram