Well, this is good, isn’t it? It’s not often a band comes along with an EP that blows some full-length albums out of the water but Arcane Roots have done just that with ‘Heaven and Earth’. It’s a five track, fast paced, energetic thrill of a record worth opening your windows and cranking up the volume for.
‘If Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves’ is in astonishing piece of music. In less than a minute it goes from classical piano to pounding drums and heavy guitars. In terms of sound they aren’t similar, but think Biffy Clyro’s way of switching between styles within in a song and you’ve got the idea. The first verse bursts in to action and acts as the catalyst to drive the rest of the song along. If arena filling choruses aren’t enough, two thirds of the way through we’re treated to screaming vocals and something close to a metal breakdown.
‘When Did The Taste Leave Your Mouth’ is akin to the classic pop-rock sound that’s heard on the radio every day. While singer Andrew Groves has a unique voice, the fundamentals of the track aren’t too dissimilar to the likes of You Me At Six. ‘Leaving 1’ also has a memorable chorus and pop sensibilities but it’s the heavier moments that make these songs really shine.
Even ‘Slow Dance’ is brilliant, but it pales in comparison to ‘Vows & Ceremony’, an awe-inspiring crescendo to an impressive EP. Don’t blame yourself if you skip the first four songs and end up listening to it over and over and over again. Don’t turn it off after four and half minutes though; there’s another track hidden at the end.
We described Arcane Roots’ 2013 Blood & Chemistry as an album that outshone everything around it and this EP is no different. Arcane Roots’ sound takes all the best bits of a lot of bands we love and shoves them all together in an imposing, loud and beautiful noise.
KATHRYN BLACK