The Brave – Aura (Album Review)
The Brave – Aura
Released: April 5th, 2019
Line-up:
Nathan Toussaint – Vocals
Kurt Thomson – Guitar
Daniel Neucom – Bass
Denham Lee – Guitar
Brent Thomson – Drums
Online
The Brave have been away from the touring circuit for the past year or so as they have been working extremely hard to follow up on their fantastic album, Epoch. The new album shows a more mature sound as the band has developed further in their career. They are currently touring the nation to get this sound to more people and after having a listen, its no surprise why!
Opening track ‘Through The Dark’ is the first real taste of the bands new, matured sound. It reminds me of bands such as Hands Like Houses and Bring Me The Horizon’s newest material with its catchy lyrics and beat that makes you want to get up and dance, I feel it is a fitting introductory song to the album. The first release ‘Technicolor’ is a tad slower and has a darker feel to it. There seems to be a focus on vocalist Nathan Toussaint throughout the song, who keeps his voice in a monotone state up until the breakdown where he shows off his range. ‘Out Of Reach’ has a faster tempo with a more some unreal guitar riffs. This one also has a chorus that makes staying still impossible. This is an incredibly catchy song!
In ‘Ethereal’ there is a true demonstration of well-written music. Each instrument seems to just blend in with the others in such a way it makes listening to itan absolute pleasure. Frontman Nathan isn’t scared to display his talent in this one either switching from screams to cleans and making it seem effortless. ‘Lost To The Night’ dampens the mood and keeps the pace a bit slower to what The Brave are used to for the first half of the song, then the band’s heavy side shines through. ‘Burn’ is the softest song on the LP. It is quite an uplifting tune with beautiful lyrics throughout, expressing their love for a certain person/people. I have never heard this band release a song this slow but they pull it off perfectly. I for one usually tend to gravitate towards the heavier music, but this is my favourite song on the album.
In ‘Above the Clouds’ the tempo is picked up with a hard-hitting intro that has harsh vocals shining through. This is a great example of this band’s staple sound, a bold chorus, intricate yet easy to listen to instrumentals and an incredible vocals range. ‘Aura’ is a slow and sombre piece. Vocalist Nathan speaks of needing someone imparticular by his side, this song might even get your tears flowing! ‘Desolation’ is another one that reminds me of Bring Me The Horizon’s new material from amo. It’s slower than what these guys usually produce with an upbeat feel to it which seems to be the direction they want to take their sound. ‘Dragged Down’ is a more pop-styled song with a heavy breakdown in the midst of it. This is a fantastic demonstration of how good this band can write music at both ends of the spectrum. ‘Goodbye’ finishes off the album with a heartfelt sense of sorrow and grief as the band express how they are sorry they never said goodbye to a deceased friend or relative. It’s a slow one that touches the heart and a great way to finish off the album.
The Brave have exploded back into the music scene with this one. After watching them perform recently on the Technicolor Tour (our review here), it excites me to be able to see how far this band can go.
The Brave – Aura tracklisting
1. Through The Dark
2. Technicolor
3. Out Of Reach
4. Ethereal
5. Lost To The Night
6. Burn
7. Above The Clouds
8. Aura
9. Desolation
10. Dragged Down
11. Goodbye
Rating: 3.5/5
Aura is out Friday, April 5th via UNFD. Pre-Order here
Review by Adam Rice @adam.rice94