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The Unkindness Of Ravens – Virus

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The Unkindness of Ravens – Website

The Unkindness Of Ravens are a very odd band indeed, why are they odd?  They are odd as they are just so good at what they do.  As a reviewer you look for the good and bad things about a new release from a band.  But you know what, this may sound nasty, but I was trying to find fault with Virus.  But you know something I couldn’t, they only repetitive thing in this album is sheer quality and that sound that can only be The Unkindness Of Ravens.

This has been a very hard album to review, how do I do poetic justice to what can only be described as musical genius?  I have been trying to think of ways to tell everyone about this amazing album without repeating myself and sounding boring.  So I hereby do my best to tell you, the readers of this review, just why you need to buy Virus by The Unkindness Of Ravens.

There are a lot of key elements to this album and I am going to try pick out every one of them individually and tell you in what tracks they all appear.

The first two things you notice about the music of The Unkindness Of Ravens is that key sound and the power of the vocals.  The sound which is created by Ben lends itself to solid beats, a harmonious but yet droning guitar and also the excellent riffs he provides to the mood of the track.  The other main thing, which as a vocalist myself I notice greatly, is the sheer talent of Nina’s vocals.  She manages to hit so many things when she sings to you, her vocals hold power, femininity, sensuality and the power to touch emotions inside you.  The sound and vocals combined make for thought and emotion provoking music which is unrivalled in anything I have ever heard before.  As a music journalist I come across a lot of music but there are rarities like The Unkindness Of Ravens that really take your breath away.

The amazing guitar riffs that Ben produces envelope you for Viper and then you are hit with Nina’s calm vocals which kind of fit what is a full on industrial track.  Again the same can be said for Prototype.  Both tracks show you just how good The Unkindness Of Ravens are, they have that industrial edge in a big way and are backed up by Nina’s entrancing vocals.

Emotion is a very big part of the music of The Unkindness Of Ravens and this is something that encircles your senses in the likes of Virus, White Road and You Should Know By Now.  White Road lets you hear what can only be described as musical love making, sensuality shines bright both in the song and also inside the listener too.  Virus is slightly heavier but even sexier, it’s almost like Nina and Ben are flirting with you and giving you that promise of all you desire but they are doing it with their music.  You Should Know By Now is both sexy and musically clever, Ben’s droning guitars as a backing with his clever riffs in the front mixed with an ever changing vocal range from Nina on this track.

Last Call For The River is a song which carries resonance of the great pioneers of the electronic sounds of the late seventies and early eighties.  The music on this has almost been plucked from that great era and has been given a modern twist.  How they have done it I do not know but it is nothing more than sheer brilliance.

On Das Gift The Unkindness Of Ravens again show the mastery of their art, tranquillity and brutality mix to form the perfect fusion of light and dark.

To me there is one song on this album that truly summarises up to me what could be classed as that Unkindness Of Ravens sound and that is The Spaces In Between.  I really cannot describe this other than The Unkindness Of Ravens.  Also if you watch the video to this track on YouTube you find also visually that The Unkindness Of Ravens are very provocative.  The video is very sexy indeed.  I shouldn’t really say this in a music review but I will.  Ben is a great looking lad which every mother would hope her daughter would bring home.  And Nina, wow.  Her beauty matches her vocals totally.  Both music and video combine to produce The Unkindness Of Ravens, which is the only way I can describe perfection at this point.

The ending track on the album is Yours Forever But Not To Hold, you find yourself getting lost in the music literally here.  Just close your eyes and let the invitation you get from Nina and Ben just take you away to their world.

So I hope I have done justice to an album which in my mind has no flaws what so ever.  This album is my mind is one that you will buy and not be able to put down.  Musical perfection at it’s very best.

Reviewd by Phlis Deameanor
ALteria Motives