A well-played and well thought out album with strong musical moments.
Prosperina is a Welsh power-trio and the band´s music is at the heavy end of the Fireworks-friendly music spectrum. This album consists of many drop-D tuned guitar and droning doom metal elements and indeed there is actually a bell tolling in the intro of the second song! However, there is something here for the eclectic listener or the melodic rock lover who sometimes hankers for something heavier!
The vocals by Gethin Woolcock, who also co-produced the album, are hypnotic and unforgettable, delivered in a deep-voiced Ozzy Osbourne style. The omnipresent guitar layers are there for accompaniment and only venture into soloing territory where necessary; this album is very much about the vocals and overall sound. The bass and drums, supplied by Owen Street and Yo-Yo Walsh respectively, are full of power and provide a very live sound to the recording.
Interestingly, the songs which have more of a classic rock leaning appear to work better and there are some good classic moments; notably the rock out ending section of the fourth song, ´Arcanum´ and the extended soloing in ´Trees Have Eyes´, this track being chosen to have a promo video on the band´s official website.
The last two tracks consist of epic eight minute plus songs. Firstly, ´Hypnagog´, starts off with an acoustic guitar, then joined by a firm drum beat and then turns into a mid-paced electric guitar stomp. An instrumental passage follows before a total slowdown to a chanting vocal interspersed by crashing guitar passages and then ends with a frenetic guitar solo. The final track, ´Rebirth´, is more straightforward with a long heavy guitar intro leading into a spoken verse and a sung chorus accompanied by crashing drum cymbals.
In summing up, Prosperina has produced a well-played and well thought out album with strong musical moments. There are some commercially facing songs; in retrospect, the opener ´Piper Alpha´ is the best example of this category and I suspect the album as a whole will be a success for the band.
Rob McKenzie
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