Hailing from the Northern Beaches of Sydney, this
alternative prog-rock outfit of four looks as heavy as they sound, but will
their EP stand up in their chosen genre? Dave Roberts goes for a drive to find
out.

As many of you wouldn’t know, there are three main places I
will listen to music. One is on my way to the city on my iPhone, one is in
front of my computer, surfing the net, and the biggest one is when I’m driving
to and from wherever I’m driving to and from at the time. So it was no surprise
that I found myself pulled over on the side of the road to write this review
after listening to the Cutwing
EP in
it’s entirety.

Opening with "Breaking Point", the album blares The Butterfly
Effect-esque song out of the speakers and I can immediately see the unique
qualities of the band – and that they have grabbed my attention. With the
melodic lines and heavy backing instrumental counterparts of the band, it is
everything that Imago was to me when I first heard it – big, loud, rude and
simply catchy. The good kind of catchy. Plenty of angst to go around with the
lyrical content which matches the rhythm of the track with lines such as ‘I’ll
steal your soul tonight’ – meaning exactly that. The Tool reminiscent interlude
is a typical moment for the crowd to get off their feet and the ending guitar
solo contrasts perfectly with the song – disjointed and simple.

And that’s just track one.

Track two, "Into The Light" sounds like something off an
early Alter Bridge album with the whole band taking a different tack on this
song. The mix also seems a lot nicer and more polished on this track, with the
overall orchestration being more definitive and no one stepping on anyone
else’s range. A very nice middle eight section brings the song down with the
solo taking a much more relaxed role than before. The most catchy bit of the
song however is the intro guitar riff which is wholesome but unresolved at the
same time and ties in perfectly with the previous track and the overall theme
of the album.

The following tack "Home" seems to be a song almost written
for the female members of the audience. With a much softer feel than the
previous two tracks, bar the chorus section, the song takes another route
showing off the boy’s creative ability once again and their ability to write
something for everyone. Even the solo section and middle eight are more
relaxed, giving the album some nice light and dark contrast between songs. The
song sounds like something from the later Linkin Park albums – an alt. rock
feel with a hint of mainstream promise hidden away amidst the rest of the song.

Heading onto the fourth track off the album now, and my
personal favourite – "A Heart’s Betrayal". This is by far the most original song
off the entire album with all of the a fore mentioned influences mixed together.
A well balanced intro, chorus and verse structure makes the song lovable the
first time you hear it, with the melody being stuck in your head for hours
after you hear it. Even the middle section has something completely different –
a bass guitar solo over a melodically increasing guitar and drum driven riff
before launching into the final chorus and ending on a down but hopeful note
than makes you want to put the song on repeat again and again. However, the
song could have been mixed a little mixer and the demo-esk mix seems a little
unpolished which unfortunately detracts from the song a little bit.

The final track "Inicia/Searching for Reasons" is another
Imago-esque track with a little Alter Bridge thrown in for good measure. Sadly, this
isn’t the strongest track on the album and after hearing the previous track I
was geared up for another killer track but was left a little disappointed to
hear this one. While its still a solid song and the boys should be well and
truly proud of it on a whole, it appears to be a song which would sound more
epic live than on a CD, and that excuse to me is a little like saying that
someone’s new friend will grow on you when you meet them for the second time in
a different environment – first impressions are usually the right ones.

Over to the technical details of things, the overall mix of
the album is a little lacking and perhaps a remaster would be in order. It
doesn’t quite have the polished jumping out of your speakers that other EP’s
that have come across my desk have had. It all works, everything there and most
importantly is audible, but something isn’t just quite right. The albums art
however is fantastic and no expense has been spared in the presentation of the
album and it does, indeed, look professional.

Overall, the album is a fantastic example of musicianship –
which the music industry seems to be lacking these days sadly. It’s the prefect
example of a new wave of music starting the bleed it’s way into the music scene
of Sydney. It’s great to see bands like Cutwing making a big mark on the Sydney
music scene and be recognized as musicians rather than rock stars. As I said,
my only real problem with the album was the final mix, but I’m sure the boys
will prove me wrong with the next album.

Which I’ll be waiting for. Eagerly.

Consensus – A fantastic example of music on a local level
that is professional and well thought out. A definite buy for any alt. rock
lover.

Review Score: 7.5/10

[Header photo: Black Rope Designs via facebook.com/pages/Cutwing/15068683114]