By Colt Taylor/ campus editor
Maximalism, the fourth album from the power metal band Amaranthe, marks a breath of fresh air for the band.
Despite the name sounding like technobabble from a kid show, this album takes risks and moves further away from the band’s previous sound. Whereas previous albums occupied different spaces on the same musical gradient, the start of this album, “Maximize,” is as close to standard as the album gets, fast and powerful with the band’s three vocalists doing what they do best. They sing complex metaphors in such a way that listening to the song a half-dozen times is the only way to determine the actual meaning behind it.
“Boomerang,” the second song, stumbles into the new style. While by no means a bad song, the odd simile that occupies the middle of the chorus and title of the song is like a dead skunk in the road of an otherwise leisurely drive.
The album proceeds to perform a full-frontal face-plant with “That Song.” In brief, this song lacks originality and evokes a sense of déjà vu since it’s so neutral and safe that it sounds like many other songs written with the same premise. It sounds like Taylor Swift writing a metal song.
The song is redeemed by the great performances by the singers and band. This song doesn’t feel like Elize Ryd’s previous work, which is good because it means she is trying new things as an artist, but this doesn’t sound like the right direction for the band.
After that speed bump, the album is back on its feet and running full speed as Amaranthe’s style comes to surface with more emphasis on instruments that haven’t been as prominent in previous works.
“Fury” is the odd song out because it is about the band itself. “21” and “On The Rocks” are two great party songs with a healthy amount of symbolism and metaphor. “Limitless” and “Break Down and Cry” are two new high-powered love songs with abundant vocal and instrumental variety.
“Faster,” “Fireball” and “Supersonic” are where they hid the unused metaphors left over from writing “That Song.” The album ends with the only slow song, “Endlessly,” another metaphor-laden love ballad like a tasty after-dinner mint.
