Album Review: Sophie Lloyd – Imposter Syndrome (Autumn Records)

Sophie Lloyd is one of the most prolific guitarists on the world wide web, a trailblazer who is redefining the concept of a “bedroom” guitarist. A talented composer and accomplished musician, Sophie graduated from the prestigious BIMM in 2018 with a First Class Honours BMus in Popular Music Performance, honing and refining a talent she has nurtured since childhood.

Since then, she has amassed the kind of following that even the guitar gods she grew up idolizing would be envious of, with a reach surpassing 3 million followers across her social channels, built through a steady stream of sharing her talent via guitar “shredleys”, covers and her own original material.

At 27 years old, Sophie Lloyd is just getting started, with her debut album ‘Imposter Syndrome’ set for release on October 13th via her own Autumn Records label.

An exceptionally talented guitarist, Sophie Lloyd might be following in the footsteps of trailblazing riff-slingers before her, but she is well and truly carving out her own path now, and this debut album goes some way to showing that.

An album of power, an album of groove, an album of anthems, and, of course, and album of guitar wizardry. Yet, great riffs and stonking solos aren’t going to be enough to make a great album, so Sophie Lloyd has recruited a stellar group of musicians to help make this a memorable hard rocking and hair-raising heavy metal listen.

Just look at some of the talent she has enlisted to provide vocals. The likes of Lzzy Hale, Michael Starr, Matthew K. Heafy, and Lauren Babic, to name just a few. Of course, none of this would matter if the songwriting wasn’t up to snuff, and happily, that is far from the case as Sophie Llyod has crafted a collection of head-bangers, body-shakers, and fist-pumping bangers.

It goes without saying that Sophie Llyod is a machine on guitar. Throwing out an abundance of riffs, hooks, and solos. Yet, never to the detriment of the overall song structure. Nothing ever sounds forced, and Sophie Lloyd is more than happy to let the other instruments/vocalists dominate if it results in a more ‘complete’ listen. Yet, her incredible abilities can’t be understated, especially as this is an album that features so much variety.

Every single track has the potential to be a hit individually, but there is a welcome attempt to marry everything together under the banner of Imposter Syndrome. Thanks, in part, to some strong lyrical content, and thanks, in part, to the aforementioned group of vocalists that all add their unique stamp on things. Credit must also be given to how the vocalists mesh with Sophie Lloyd’s music, where some are definitely challenging themselves, but for the most part, the tracks fit their individual style perfectly.

Her success to date is already admirable, but this album is going to really make a difference, in particular, shutting up any naysayers. Sophie Lloyd has arrived, and the rock and metal landscape is changing.

Sophie Lloyd – Imposter Syndrome Track Listing:

1. Do Or Die (feat. Nathan James)
2. Pressure (feat. Brandon Saller)
3. Imposter Syndrome (feat. Lzzy Hale)
4. Let It Hurt (feat. Chris Robertson)
5. Runaway (feat. Michael Starr)
6. Fall Of Man (feat. Matthew K. Heafy)
7. Lost (feat. Cole Rolland)
8. Hanging On (feat. Lauren Babic)
9. Avalanche (feat. Trevor McNevan)
10. Won’t You Come (feat. Marisa Rodriguez)
11. Judge And Jury (feat. Tyler Connolly)

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