UK band CORVUS was formed in early 2013 by guitarist John Clews, with Ciaran James (vocals), Nick Jeavons (keyboards) and Jordan Brown (bass) making up the the rest of the band as of early 2015. With the aid of producer and drummer Alex Cooper they recorded their debut album “Chasing Miracles”, which is set for a June 2015 release through The Lynchburg Music Group – according to the digital promo I received.
Corvus is a band that explores a brand of music that has been on (or should that be off) style for the last 40 years or so. Melodic rock is a fairly good general description, pinpointing their take on this type of music ever so slightly I’d say that they mainly navigate between 70’s inspired AOR and early 80’s melodic hard rock, occasionally drifting towards territories closer to what was described as hair metal back in the day. The differences between any of those subsets of melodic rock are subtle at best of course, but my main impression is that Corvus are closer to the former two than the latter throughout. And a safe heads up call can be given to those that enjoy the first couple of Bon Jovi albums, UK band FM and to some extent Def Leppard as well I guess, three of the artists mentioned as sources of inspiration by the band.
Through the 13 tracks on this disc we’re taken on a quality ride through fairly well known musical landscapes. Those familiar with this type of music are served material that stays safely within the genre conventions, with few surprises other than on a more subtle level. The guitars are toned down, generally darker toned and with a harder edged punch quality, the supplemental keyboards provides either a lighter toned, softer touch or a richer, occasionally dramatic contrast, the rhythm section caters for drive and momentum quite nicely and the lead vocalist has a finely controlled, melodic delivery with an emphasis on control: Those fond of lead vocals of a more dramatic, emotionally laden nature will have to look elsewhere to cater for their specific needs.
Corvus are skilled at creating compositions with enough contrast and drive to maintain interest. That is one of the key element that separates average bands from good bands, and Corvus are clearly on the good side here. They have occasional songs that for me doesn’t quite make it, How Long and Can’t Stop Falling can be mentioned, but for me that’s first and foremost because I found the songs to be a tad too slow paced combined with arrangements that lacks that killer lead or supplemental motif that would elevate them into a more compelling experience, and with a vocalist that at this stage at least doesn’t come across as a singer that can elevate a song by sheer force of talent or personality.
If you tend to like bands that explore AOR as they did in the late 70’s and melodic rock and hard rock of the kind that was popular in the early 80’s, Corvus is a band that merits a check. While not trying to find any unexplored grounds, their pathways through well known musical landscapes is one that holds a generally high quality, and one I suspect should have a fairly broad overall appeal.
My rating: 75/100
