CD review HIGHER POWER '27 Miles Underwater'

Higher Power release these days their sophomore longplayer ’27 Miles Underwater’. 3 years after having premiered with ‘Soul Structure’ the guys from Leeds, UK reveal a package of eleven new songs, all mainly based on Hardcore.

However, Higher Power has more in the offer, since they merge several styles and genres to a sound that reminds more than once of bands like Deftones. One of these tunes is ‘Lost in Static’ that delivers very dynamic Alternative Metal. Grunge, Hardcore and Rock, together with a well-done melody line, are the key-ingredients of this track while the following ‘Rewire 101’ unveils the Hardcore-roots. Brutal riffs and aggressive shouts in the chorus characterize a sonic wrecking ball that allows you to go wild.

Also ‘Passanger’ carries a lot of Hardcore spirit, but has also some Modern Metal embedded too. I even had to think about a heavier version of Dog Eat Dog while listening to the smasher. A song that takes a different road is ‘In the Meantime’, built on an acoustic framework and a real calm middle section. In the last third heaviness returns to the scene, still with a very melodic guitar sound.

To sum up: ’27 Miles Underwater’ is an album that offers well-crafted songs with lyrics that have a meaning and something to say. What’s missing is one or two tracks that really stand-out, real wow-factors on a good album.

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