Opening with a growling heavy metal guitar riff, like a ravenous tiger yearning to escape from his cage, Closer are certainly intent on marking their territory on the Euro metal scene. Every Time I Close My Eyes is the powerful first track on the EP. The superb use of duel vocalists on this opener gives their music a unique quality and edge as they alternate between a classic cock rock belt and a baritone growl.
These guys are adept at creating a rousing atmosphere in their songs and produce some cracking melodies. Take the title track for instance, which starts off with an air raid siren, gun fire and a haunting sotto voce vocal before bursting into an aggressive artillery of drums, bass and guitar.
Occasionally they appear to go a bit off beam with time signatures which can make the track feel somewhat disjointed, as is the case with Disappear, but they find themselves redeemed with bold and driven tracks like What Are We Fighting For and Closer. Preachers Of Nothing is another heavyweight track filled with a pummelling percussion section and thrashing guitar work. The following song, Fearless sets up a heroic musical backdrop alongside some impassioned vocals and a larger than life production. Although it is remiss of a strong classic influence, the overall Wagnerian feel of the album does indeed make it feel like a symphonic metal in places.
The token ballad, You Were Mine benefits from an semi – acoustic arrangement on the first verse, but then largely reverts back to the gutsier sound, which does away the emphasis, a fully paired down version of the song would have perhaps been a better way to show their diversity and show more subtly. Outta My Head is another stand out rock track from the album, crammed with their distinctive harmonies and lead vocals.
For a debut release the Italian rockers have certainly done a suburb job of crafting a terrific Euro metal album filled with expansive sounds, dominant melodic vocals and energetic guitar work. Bravo!