Review: The Charm the Fury – A Shade of My Former Self
Artist: The Charm The Fury
Album: A Shade of My Former Self
Rating: 10/10
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best bands in the world always seem to be in foreign. The Charm The Fury, hailing from Amsterdam, are a force to be reckoned with. Not only does the band have an incredibly talented female screamer, she doubles as a clean singer with a pretty impressive range in both respects. Their debut full-length album, “A Shade of My Former Self”, is everything a metalcore album should be and so much more. The instrumentals are top-notch and really help pull the listener in. It’s definitely a headbanger from front to back. But what, other than these elements, make this an album worth your time? Well, let’s dive in and find out.
As I mentioned before, vocalist Caroline Westendorp doubles as a screamer, as well as, a clean singer. This is an impressive feat for any artist, but especially so in females, due to the ferocity instantly shown when a woman screams. Take into account the fact that she has an incredible range for both vocal styles and you’ve really got something worth checking out. I’ve always admired musicians who scream as well as sing. It takes an incredible amount of talent to do both of these things and even more so to do them successfully. “A Shade of My Former Self” will slam you into the walls time and time again and leave you begging for more. What other reason would you need to give it a listen? The melodies are breathtaking and the instrumentals make you feel every ounce of pain, anger, happiness, whatever the case may be.
Starting with the piano-driven intro track, “The Unveiling” and progressively getting heavier as it comes to an end, you will find something in between for any metalcore fan. Whether you like more cleans, more screams, heavy-as-f**k breakdowns or insane guitar solos; you will find it all here. To me, the standout tracks are the title track, “A Shade of My Former Self”, “Carte Blanche” which has a video I will link below and the tracks with guest vocalists. “The Enemy (feat. Jamie Graham)” and “Colorblind (ft. Daniël de Jongh)” which are easily two of the heaviest tracks on the album. The guests make it come together that much more perfectly and it leaves you in awe of what your ears have beheld. If you need another reason to check the album out, check out the video for the title track below. If you like it, don’t hesitate to pick up your copy of “A Shade of My Former Self” out now on Listenable Records/Pavement Entertainment!
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