Platitude - Nine
Scarlet Records
Melodic Rock / Metal
11 songs ()
Release year: 2004
Platitude, Scarlet Records
Reviewed by Ben

That Platitude is being marketed as a neoclassical metal band surprises me. I went into Nine expecting some full on Malmsteen worship like every other neoclassical metal band in existence and when the first strains of music started to seep out of my stereo I was taken aback. By the time the second song rolled around I was thinking to myself that this has more to do with Pink Cream 69 and Dreamtide than anything else and believe me, as a fan starved for more Melodic Rock releases in this day and age I was more than a little pleased at this revelation.

One of the most pleasing aspects of this record is singer Erik Blomkvist’s voice. He has a rough everyman feel to him and when he is belting out the insanely catchy hooks and choruses like in Trust you feel that by singing along you will sound exactly like him but you fail every single time. To bring that feeling out of most listeners is rare, but yet he can still charm the terrible singer inside us out with every song, his lines in Trust are all superbly sung, those verses are some of the most infectious accents I have ever heard. The guitars are crunchy and heavy, just look at the opener Dark Mind for an example of that, but they still maintain a melodic edge to them without sacrificing heaviness. There are two keyboardists in this band and they are what give Platitude a Dreamtide feel. Halcyon Days sounds like it was lifted off of the Norwegians recent Dreams for the Daring release, and that’s actually a good thing. Avalon Farewell is a moody ballad that builds up from the initial minimal guitars, voice, and airy keyboards to a great mid pace rock tune with some Dream Theater keyboard solos in it as well.

I remember when Danny reviewed Secrets of Life, he called this band “Sonata Arctica Metal.” I would have to say that yes, I found several instances where the comparisons where spot on with the debut album but on Nine I would say that there are few if any, direct melodic speed metal songs in the vein of Sonata on Nine. While there are a few tracks that are keyboard based Power Metal, the excellent closer Starlight comes to mind, I still don’t hear the neoclassical that the promoters of this band insist on pushing. Instead, what I hear is a great blend of Melodic Rock and Power Metal, Melodic Rock with the supreme catchiness and Erik’s voice, and Power Metal with the speed and the guitar and keyboard interplay.

I find that Nine sits in that position of “completely solid album” section of my listening experiences. An excellent Hard Rock release, and also a fine Power Metal album all in one with both aspects being evenly balanced, I can see Platitude carving their own niche in this overcrowded genre, Nine is just the beginning.

Killing Songs :
Trust, Halcyon Days, Avalon Farewell, and Starlight
Ben quoted 79 / 100
Other albums by Platitude that we have reviewed:
Platitude - Silence Speaks reviewed by Ben and quoted 83 / 100
Platitude - Secrets Of Life reviewed by Danny and quoted 75 / 100
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There are 3 replies to this review. Last one on Mon Oct 04, 2004 5:14 pm
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