When an album fails to deliver in one aspect, it can subsequently be somewhat difficult to fully connect with and enjoy it, and sadly a release that falls into this category is Of Stones And Stars by Caladmor.
The instrumentation is fantastic – especially the folksier sections, which are a definite highlight of the album – and there’s no problem with the way the songs are constructed, but the vocals sound amateur and weak in comparison to the rest of the album. There’s no colour to the vocals from either singer and it’s almost sounds like they’re straying from the tune, so it subsequently makes it very difficult to take in the rest of the music when the vocals sound so out-of-place in comparison.
It’s a real shame because there are some songs that have a massive amount of potential. Dawn Of The Deceiver really grabs your attention with some ace whistle sections and the substantial amount of energy behind the track is something to behold, and Taberna Trollis is so damn fun that I can only begin to imagine how great the song must be in a live environment, but it’s still a bit of a struggle to fully connect with them.
There’s a good amount of potential within this album, with some real high points, but the low points drag it down a tad, meaning that it doesn’t quite make the impression the band are capable of achieving.
4/10
