You can support Terra Relicta by donating! Please, do so, and thank you!
Band: Your Life On Hold
Album title: My Name Is Legion For We Are Many
Release date: 9 November 2018
Label: Solar Lodge
Tracklist:
01. A Dead Gray Shadow Against The Sky
02. Bruised
03. Sunflower Sutra
04. Harvest Moon
05. Tension
06. Cold Fever
07. Silent Call
08. System Failure
09. Dead Tree
10. Detached
One year ago the Belgian band Your Life On Hold enthused most of the gothic rock fans with its soaring, gloomy, overall melancholic, but powerful debut album Burning For The Ancient Connection, and now the act masterminded by John Wolf is already back with the sophomore release that follows in the footsteps of the first one, but still there are many new things that can impress in a big way.
Your Life On Hold achived already on the first album a certain characteristic sound that can't be mistaken with any other band inside the genre, even though that we can't say that there are no evident influences from the big names such as The Sisters Of Mercy, The Cult, Fields Of The Nephilim or The Cure. But now Your Life On Hold offers a bit more metalic, hard, darker, more guitar driven and sometimes more atmospheric sound than on the first album, as well there's some toying with shoegazing, I can easily say that the album sounds more mature and refined. While everything, from music to lyrics, on this album was done by John Wolf, he still got some help from guest like is bassist Augustijn Vermandere and guitarist Emeric Debusschere.
Your Life On Hold is one of those new bands that we can label as "post-goth" and of course, the "goth elitists" will not touch such stuff, while those who like to see the genre expand can have a lot to hear here. The production is better, deeper and more saturated than before, but I kind of miss that primordial energy and vivaciousness that was present on Burning For The Ancient Connection. Nevertheless, when you'll hear those hard hitting guitars and strong reverberate bass lines mixed with some typical gothic rock riffing and gloomy atmospheric keys, believe me that these compositions will take you with their flow.
John's rather raspy deep, emotional, sometimes distant, but powerful and unique voice is kind of a "love it or hate it" thing I guess, but in my opinion it fits well here, and it melts nicely with those catchy melodies of tracks like is "Sunflower Sutra" or "Harvest Moon", with heavier gritty darkness of "Tension", and even better it works out in the more atmospheric tracks like is the strong and rather cinematic yet partly almost gothic metal "Cold Fever". As well the melancholic almost epic doomy reverberation named "System Failure" sounds really good, not to mention the depressive "Dead Tree" and the ambiental closing one "Detached".
Yes, I guess that you noticed that the second half of the album is for my taste better, there's much more exploration in darkness, more depth, more emotion and more impact, lush guitars and synths play their role with perfection and are more evident than in the groovier tracks. The broad spectrum of sounds is pretty coherent and everything is well connected into one kind of a sonic goth adventure. If only John would add just a little bit more suspense and drama into most of the tracks than everything would be top notch. Nevertheless, My Name Is Legion For We Are Many is highly recommended album for every one of you who is in need of some classy modern sounding post-goth rock. Your Life On Hold is the melancholic but consoling soundtrack to a life of solitude and loss.
Review written by: T.V.
Rating: 8/10
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
