High Hopes’ ‘Sights and Sounds’ launches with some spoken news-like prose, the atmosphere and professionalism evident from the get-go. ‘The Callout’ bends in with some harmonic guitar parts before the recognisable bark of vocalist Nick Brooks shows why this band are surrounded by a barrage of hype and expectation. They punched in on a UK wave of hardcore that includes Polar, Napoleon, Lock & Key and more recent additions like wars and Blood Youth. It is a strong crowd and High Hopes are trying to shove their way to the top of the pile with this, their third, but strongest release to date.
‘Revelation’ starts like your neighbour is playing the track next door, the sound distant, as it builds and punishes you for turning up your headphones, the riffs heavy, the intensity maintained throughout the track. The sound is big and really professional, and it surely won’t be long before this band are taken more seriously, the dual vocal parts offering some melody amidst the heavier sections, the guitars trickling over you like a naughty sprinkler during a hosepipe ban.
The only criticism that can be aired is that the style of each song is relatively similar, but then if you sign up for this particular style of hardcore, variety doesn’t seem to be the spice of life, and heck why not, if it ain’t broke, why fix it and all that.
‘Nostalgic Thoughts’ offers a rather pointless interlude of piano and reverb when ‘Manipulator’ brings you back to the same structure as before, but with some added funk in the bass which gives this song an added bonus. But the very samey vocals from song to song, start to show the single dimension of Brooks’ abilities. This is not to say it isn’t a good record, but the top vocals, despite very strong at the more shouty, typically hardcore vocals, are very similar from track to track, lacking the variety that some other frontmen offer, or perhaps this was a choice, but either way, it feels like it falls short.
Final track ‘Sights And Sounds’ offers a temporary let-up from the noise, with a more mellow introduction, some ghostly, atmospheric vocals floating over the top, before the crescendo of noise climbs to another, more mellow break, vocalist Brooks offering something slightly different, the same style of vocals, but just more atmospheric and subtle, the melody really strong, the dual-guitar work highlighting the song writing abilities of High Hopes, before some plink plonk piano carries the album to its natural end.
Could High Hopes have pushed the boat out more? Absolutely. Could they have provided more variety throughout the album? Definitely. However, it is a solid release, but one that leaves more questions than answers. It will remain to be seen whether ‘Sights And Sounds’ lifts High Hopes to lofty heights. Here’s hoping that their next release is just a little more ballsy, and takes a few more risks.
DAVE BULL