Against The Current - 'Til Death & Back' Album Review

8 hours ago

2 min read

Tracklist:

1. Fortune Favors The Brave

2. Dead Man Walking

3. Ashes To Glory

4. The Moth

5. Heavenly

6. Always You & I

7. White Noise

8. Protégé

9. Stuck

10. Till Death & Back Again

Soaring anthemic bangers? Check!

Larger than life Riffs? Check!

Melodic pop sensibility? Check!

Emotionally engaging lyrics? Check!

Driving rhythm section? Check!

Brilliant singing? Check!

Against The Current have just released their third album and it’s quite simply a banger. The band have been known for a while now for their excellent live performances and, with this album, have bottled the intensity they demonstrate on stage and written a fantastic rock album which leans to the alternative side but is underpinned with a pop sensibility.

Many of the songs pack real emotional punch, they move effortlessly between vulnerability and confrontation, between openness and rejection and between accepting growth and retreating from the challenge of developing as a person. This is a very emotional album where the moments of stillness are as impactful as the big riffs and soaring vocals. Built around the impact someone can have on you and the way they can worm themselves into your life this is alternative rock music at its very best.

There is an expansion of their sound while leaning into an embrace of the power of stillness. This is very much a band taking the step up, their recent Kerang cover being well deserved. They have long been potential contenders but this puts them firmly in the we’re here, you need to listen to us, territory.

How three people can make this much noise while being totally in control of what they are trying to communicate amazes me. If this doesn’t propel them to the big leagues then a lot of people have clearly missed out.

Go buy this album, you’ve just missed a tour but I’m sure they will be back gracing a stage near you soon, time to go enjoy a band at the peak of their powers with a vocalist who wouldn’t be out of place in any of the great rock bands of the last 20 years and a group of musicians who are ready to blow you away.

Stand out tracks for me are 'Fortune Favours The Brave', 'Dead Man Walking' and the album title track 'Till Death & Back' but there isn’t a song on here that isn’t going to be someone’s new favourite song. It’s that good and that well worth a listen.