MORPH

First off, Morph is not the debut solo album from Aardman Animations' Plasticine creation that frequented the BBC as Tony Hart's comic sidekick back in the day (although wouldn't that be awesome... can you imagine?!). Rather, it's the name of a new Swedish prog-alt-rock/metal duo; namely Attila Bokor on vocals/bass/guitars and Richard Sandström on drums. Perhaps alt-rock and prog rock at their core, some songs do veer into distinct metal territory such as the polyrhythmic palm-muted heavy riffing on 'It Feels Like the End' and sporadic bursts of heaviness during passages in 'Wake Up' and 'Reaching for You'. And this is a definite strength of 'Sintrinity' - not necessarily the heavy sections themselves, rather how they're seamlessly blended and segue from/to the lighter, more melodic passages of prog and alt-rock. As such, this is an album with much light and shade, both tonally and compositionally, and Morph's progressive dynamic is a very natural sounding one. In other words, there's some very adept songwriting at the core of the album which has been flavoured with disparate stylistic twists and turns - that is to say, it's all about the songs rather than stylistic diversity just for the sake of mixing it up. Their blend of different styles works great and it's all topped off with a fine vocal performance from Bokor, and quite wonderful production (by Bokor and Sandström) and mixed/mastered to near-perfection by Bokor. It seems the talents of these two guys stretch beyond mere musicianship. With all that said, 'Sintrinity' does lack a degree of originality... there are other bands out there who've blended similar disparate styles within a more innovative context. However, for a debut effort, Morph should be applauded for what they've achieved here. The duo are at the start of their career and, based on 'Sintrinity', it's a very promising one that lies ahead. If they hit their full potential, exciting times and music lie ahead.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Progress Records

Album

SINTRINITY

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

41:29

RELEASE DATE:

14th Dec 2013

TRACK LISTING

1) A Breath Away
2) At the Crossroads
3) Reaching for You
4) Wake Up
5) The Final Bow
6) It Feels Like the End
7) The Journal

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Sweden

"...there's some very adept songwriting at the core of the album which has been flavoured with disparate stylistic twists and turns - that is to say, it's all about the songs rather than stylistic diversity just for the sake of mixing it up."