Bridgewater quintet Cardinal Bay have been hell bent on impressing with their live shows over the last year or so. Notching up appearances at Teddy Rocks Festivals, and sharing the stage alongside the likes of Funeral For a Friend, Amaryllis, Chasing Cadence, Lost Atlanta, and Breathe In the Silence means that they’ve become experts at gigging on the more ‘local’ scene. All that expertise has now been channelled into the making of their EP ‘Answers’, a rowdy, rousing release.
Title track ‘Answers’ is a huge introduction. Sweeping riffs mixed with frontman Josh Rogers staggering vocals creates a track that simply soars; it’s reminiscent of Cove Reber-era Saosin, and smacks of power.
From there, this quintet doesn’t give up. Their adrenaline combined with tight musicianship sees heavy, punchy riffs and melodic choruses in ‘Out Of Sight’, a track that wouldn’t make the band look out of place on an O2 Academy stage. ‘#Shotgun’ and ‘Masquerade’ allow Josh to really showcase his captivating vocals; they’re absolutely huge, and really lift these tracks.
‘There Are No Flames In Hell’ closes with astounding riffs and thunderous drum work, creating a solid foundation for Josh’s slick vocals, and ends this solid release. Cardinal Bay have pulled no punches with the release of ‘Answers’ – it’s a record that brims with powerful energy, a record that showcases their impressive talent. Overall, it’s a record that’ll see this band do very, very well.
JESS TAGLIANI