Review: Aurin – Catharsis

Artist: Aurin
Album: Catharsis

Catharsis, by definition, is the process of purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art. New Jersey’s Aurin is most certainly the poster-child of this definition. Starting as a vision by guitarist Andrew Wayne in 2002, the goal was to write music that appealed to the mind, heart, soul and emotions with a combination of beautiful harmonies and a heavy, in-your-face type of style. The band consists of 4 individual members: Sarah Anderson (Vocals), Andrew Wayne (Guitar/Vocals), Linda Medina (Drums) and Joe Palarma (Bass, who unfortunately was not featured on the album). Each of these individuals has had their fair share of emotional hardships. Things like mental illness, poverty, bullying and deaths play a major role in the writing of their music. Their label debut, Catharsis, is an emotional rollercoaster that will have the listener feeling a plethora of emotions before it rounds out it’s 50-minute play time. Including a remastered version of their hit single, “Holding On” from their debut album The Pre-Inspired Symphony, this album is the ultimate musical Catharsis. What makes it worth your while, though?

For starters, it’s not overproduced or overloaded with vocal effects. What you’re hearing is the raw talent of each and every member, the good, the bad and the in-between. I’ve always been a fan of female-fronted bands because I have met many talented female musicians and I know the struggles they endure to do what they do, day in and day out. So when the album opens up with “November” and you’re met with your first taste of Anderson’s incredible vocal style that has all the raspiness of Janis Joplin, all the heart of Alanis Morissette and still manages to keep up with the heavier vocalists of today (i.e. Maria Brink (In This Moment), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Dani Blizzard (Autumn Stay)) it’s really refreshing. You can tell that she has spent years perfecting her craft and that she means each and every word that she projects onto the listener. She is not trying to please anyone, she loves what she does and she does it for the purpose that Aurin was created for! Then you’ve got the instrumentals. To the average listener, you may just hear another rock song. However, if you’re seasoned in what you’re hearing… you will easily hear how well these songs have been crafted, perfectly fine-tuned for each emotion to be felt and easily accessible they are. The backbone of the band, the bassist, has done a wonderful job with his bass portions and even has a few shining parts of his own, such as the beginning of “Stained” which has a groovy drum/bass intro, coupled with a low-tuned baritone guitar that lasts approximately 30 seconds. I find a hard time listening to this album all the way through because it’s one of the most emotional albums I’ve ever been privy to. What I also have a hard time doing is finding a favorite track because, one moment, I’ll think that it’s one track and the next it’s something entirely different. This album isn’t designed to pick and choose, it’s designed to be an incredible listening experience and tracks like “November”, “Stained”, “Nothing Left”, “Vermin” and, of course, the remastered version of “Holding On” are proof of that. If you were to listen to any of these tracks without hearing the rest of the album, you might find yourself missing out on the incredible overall delivery of it all.

This album is designed to show you that you’re not alone. These guys have been through a lot and have no problem sharing those experiences with you. They want you to know that there is always a light… no matter how long or dark the tunnel may seem. If you don’t pick this album up when it’s released on October 14th, you will truly be missing out on one of the best and most emotional albums of the decade. I don’t say that lightly and I realize there have been a ton of albums released but none like Catharsis. So be sure to pre-order your copy, out on Pavement Entertainment/Sony RED/Plastic Head October 14th using the links below!

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