Bright Curse - Before The Shore Review

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A fierce storm of Psychedelic Prog and catchy Classic Rock blends into something remarkable !

After signing to HeviSike Records earlier this year, London-based Bright Curse prepare to release their first LP ‘Before The Shore‘. A booster shot of energy gets injected to the doomy undercurrents with poise and control to make their heavy psychedelic sound stand out from the crowd.

Like a surfer sits scouting for the next big swirl, patience is required to wait out the surging waves of heaviness that flow across this album – and it couldn’t be more worth the wait. The rise and fall from subtly to carnage and back is gripping.

How is the sound ?

“YOU READY!?” Ominously signals ‘Lady Freedom‘ to begin. This track is easily the most accessible with it’s fantastic PHAT (oh yes, stick a PH on that), PHAT chorus. In the vast ocean of darkly progressive music, few can incorporate an impassioned singalong as well as Bright Curse. And it’s no accident.

Last years’ ‘Shaman‘ (reviewed here by Mr. Fuzz) had me filling silences with it’s catchy melodies for days on end. By dialling back the doomier elements of their 2012 debut, Bright Curse created highly alluring psychedelic sounds for your mind to wander. They continue this approach on ‘Before The Shore‘, and their willingness to explore a multitude of soundscapes is commendable.

Romain Daut’s vocals are a particular highlight of the album, and some of the best I’ve heard in a while. His range from belting out huge war cries to delicate precision is all tinted with the frenchman’s peculiar pronunciation of certain words – resulting in a vocal performance that’s refreshingly unique.

There’s a definite method to the different moods Bright Curse want to take you through. The heaviness builds sequentially, and doesn’t just jump from one extreme to the other.

No song illustrates this better than the first single from the album – ‘The Shore‘. If you’re not already streaming it right now, what are you waiting for!?

Things go a lot deeper on “Cheating Pain“, with the use of a sampled speech – similar to what they did for ‘Mind Traveller‘ from the self-titled EP.

“In fact I almost feel good at the approach of death. I almost welcome it. As you live many years, things take on a repeat. You understand? You keep seeing the same thing over and over again. The same substance, the same action, the same reaction. So you get a little bit tired of life so as death comes you almost say “Ok baby it’s time…it’s good. All that’s ok.” So no I have very little fear of death.”

In contrast, ‘Walking in a Graveyard (Bloody Witch)‘ takes a wonderfully simply approach, ramping up from the smooth grooves to a punchy metal climax.

As the album sails on, the gap between waves increases, but so too does their force. Things go very spacey in the second half, and the same talent that had you singing along at first, has you hypnotised by the end.

‘Earths Last Song‘ is a glorious closer, complete with everything you’d want. Catchy melodies, soaring guitar solo’s and huge vocals. The very end has a little surprise that, without saying too much, is a musical riptide. As if I hadn’t exhausted sea-based analogies already.

Why is this album worth listening to?

The remarkable vocal performance from Romain Daut.
The dispersal of fuzz should please those who like their heavy psych leaning on the proggy side.
Superb songwriting that’s surprisingly catchy for this genre.

In what situation should you listen to this album ?

I stuck this on for a drive through the rain one morning and that seemed to match pretty perfectly

Something particular to note ?

The boys are doing a European tour in support of the record, kicking off May 20th in Lille. There’s a ton of dates across France, plus a couple in Geneva, Cologne and Amsterdam.