The progressive metal and rock scene within Australia are growing more than ever before. Bands signing with internationally recognised labels, successful albums each year from different bands, and new bands uprising and coming to the forefront of the scene. With having only released 2 days prior to the writing of this, The Strangers‘ new album ‘Kaleidoscope‘ has been released on all platforms and is popping off. Melody, chord progression, beautiful strong vocals, and almighty thick bass all playing their parts to create such a killer piece of art. Each of the 3 singles recently released have amassed over 1,000 plays on Spotify with ‘Eleventh Hour’ amassing over 10,000.
There are many things that make this album so great. They use a great variety of style in playing to move the listeners feel, through heavy distortion and growls, to funky bass and drums for lighter tones across the record. Something that can’t be left out is the solo in ‘Jester’, which comes after the height of a chorus after some funky bass. Listening to the solo gives you the feeling of soaring through the sky. Speaking of soloing, ‘Coming Home’, interludes us into a nice break from the rest of the album, with its mellow and calm nature. Between tracks, from ‘Siren’ to ‘The Devil You Don’t’, you are able to encapture more of the feeling that the boys in The Stranger are trying to pass over onto you, through their brilliant production work and their professional talent on their instruments. Everything you hear and experience throughout listening to this record is what The Stranger wants you to experience. Through their words, “this album is an acknowledgement of change and of shifting paradigms, and frustration at those who would adapt too quickly or too slowly. The Stranger voices their fears and hopes over growing social isolation, climate change…through an anthology of fantastic fiction and deeply personal odes to growth, change and perseverance”.
To finish off, The Stranger leaves us off with the title track, ‘Kaleidoscope‘, and well, I will just let the track speak for itself…
The Stranger: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: Wildthing Records
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Shaun Bensley
