Short Reviews [Forwardhead - 2007 - "Pieces"]

"Pieces" is the third release from the Maryland, USA, based trio FORWARDHEAD. Their music is a mixture of gothic and alternative metal, spiced with influences from prog metal, and has been compared to Tool, Korn and Alice in Chains. Personally I'd add a slight influence from Pain of Salvation to that list. The guitar is the central instrument in their musical universe, with slightly drawn out chords and slow, staccato riffing combined with mellower sections with acoustic guitars at their fore. The overall sound is dark and grim, at times to the point of creating truly haunting atmospheres. Good rhythms from bass and drums underline the darkness, while the vocals of Ron Turner provide enough melody and tinge to the songs to save them from becoming monotonous. The music itself is mostly relatively simple, so exerting some subtle sounds into the structures adds elements that keep the songs interesting. The band has also inserted several shorter mood pieces here, dark and almost ambient sounding short instrumentals, which make the album as a whole more diverse. As for the songs, they are a slightly mixed lot. My personal favorites here are the mood pieces, which I do find more interesting than most of the regular songs. There's nothing bad on this recording, though, and fans of mainstream alternative and goth metal may find these guys to be a refreshing addition to their music collection.

OMB: April 11, 2008