Call Upon The Author

This is the first of 2 self titled Wintersleep albums, and it is a noticeable start for the band. From the opening track “Sore” it is easy to presume that this was a first album from the band. With shaky vocals and careful instrumentals the band are clearly testing the waters before beginning to show their true colours, by “Snowstorm” and “Avalanche” the band begin to shine through and it almost seems as if they are sitting more comfortably.
A favourite of mine is “Home” however disappointingly leads into “Caliber” which obviously holds a more negative tone and harsher vocals, although variation is a positive aspect, I prefer the original style put across. The melodic guitar works in its favour but simpler and calmer vocals may have been a better accompaniment. Besides “Assembly Lines” and “Motion” the second half of the album becomes a little monotonous and I was tempted to call it a day, however it just seems that the boys had allowed themselves to slip into a comfort zone and remain there for a good 15 minutes, which is never wise.
The second self titled album proves that the Canadian quintet are capable of much more than this and I’m so glad they decided to show it, otherwise I’d fear good talent was going to waste. Therefore as much as I regret to say, this album didn’t work for me and simply didn’t do the band justice therefore letting the second album take rein and show their true skills and imagination.