Midas Fall

One of the biggest musical surprises and discoveries of the recent years are gearing up for their sophomore release. "Eleven. Return And Revert"'s long and melancholic journey has reached an end, giving its place to the eerie and fierce beauty of "Wilderness", Midas Fall's second LP.

Rowan's delay pedals are yet again in the forefront of their arsenal -as they should be- however, one of the dominant differences we immediately get from "Wilderness" is its wholehearted embrace of electronic elements. We kindah new this was coming, as 2011's EP "As Our Blood Separates" strongly suggested this change in course, but it is still interesting to see its effect on the whole range of the album, culminating to an impressive and exhilarating -and almost chiptuny- outburst in the solo/outro of "Fight First", one of the LP's most interesting moments.

In spite of the little glimpses of change and evolution we get here and there, the bands most prominent feature is as strong as ever, being nothing else but the awe-inspiring vocal melodies generously spread out throughout the LP. This time around, the feelings evoked by the songs diverge from the grey melancholy constantly present within "Eleven..." and sets out on an equally dangerous -if not, more dangerous- path, that of nostalgia.

In the approximately 45 minutes it takes to travel through "Wilderness", we count ten tracks, two of which we have already gotten a taste of from their most recent EP, and none that can be considered as obsolete. Similarly to its predecessor, "Wilderness" flows by seamlessly, album characteristic that you rarely see nowadays. The beautiful electronic lead in "Our World Recedes", the impeccable change in dynamics throughout the length of "Your Heart, Your Words, Your Nerves" (which I would really like to get a hold of in an instrumental version), and the ideal conclusion to the LP with the self-titled track, are only a few of the really impressive and skin-tingling moments in Midas Fall's latest effort.

I have to say that at first it didn't strike me as hard as "Eleven..." had. How could it have? The feelings of surprise and awe that came with the debut album were gradually substituted by high hopes and expectations for the sophomore. One thing's for sure, "Wilderness" delivers, track by track, play by play.

I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to witness, first-hand, the band's constant journey forwards; it makes me feel like an infinitesimally small part of their dynamic. "Wilderness" catapults the band well over the looming fear of that-one-album-band and sends them soaring to new heights, as sky seems to be the limit.

Stay tuned for a series of Midas Fall goodness coming up this week on the site.