Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: White Widdow
Label: AOR Heaven Records
Release: 2016
Running time: 37:44
Rating: 3/5
After three albums released between 2010 and 2014, Australian AOR revivalists White Widdow have safely anchored themselves in the bosom of a proven musical recipe that won over fans of melodic rock and AOR. And they did it even though they’ve been skillfully, and to great enjoyment, reheating the “old soup” of the bands that put AOR on its feet in the eighties the whole time. But every story like this has to come to an end somewhere, unless you set yourself artistic challenges you can grow with. The guys still have all the drive, diligence and dedication, no doubt! So they pulled together a fourth studio album, “Silhouette”. But repeating tried-and-tested tricks has become way too obvious a constant.
The songs feel like you’re listening to one and the same chorus hook. Non-stop. Just repackaged a little differently. From song to song. What’s more, in the band’s burning desire to hit ultra-melodic catchiness, they repeated the choruses in multiple repetitions. That’s naturally annoying, and the songs end up too long, even though the album clocks in at a modest 37 minutes and 44 seconds in total.
“Silhouette” is also surprising in that, when you compare the sound of the new album with all three predecessors, it brings a softer production. On “Silhouette”, vocals and multiple vocal harmonies move to the foreground, backed up by vocoder (in the chorus hooks) and, surprisingly, synthesizers that once again channel the sonic culture of the eighties in the strictest sense of the word. The guitars have ducked down a bit in the riffs within the production, but in the “mid-eight” passages they still deliver some seriously sparkling, striking moments of masterful soloing. Maybe the album shouldn’t have been produced by Xavier Millis, who happens to be the band’s keyboardist. Perhaps that’s exactly why the keyboards got a slight push in building the album’s sonic picture.
Sadly, as already mentioned, the songs are (compositionally speaking) too similar to each other. They chase melodically “clean” lines built in mid-range registers, where synthesizers combined with vocal harmonies have always worked best within the AOR genre. In principle, the album is missing absolutely nothing. Especially if “Silhouette” is your first encounter with White Widdow. In that case, and assuming you’re a keen AOR devotee, you’ll fall for this album instantly and irreversibly.
The eager recap of the sonic character that ruled the eighties within this genre, with which bands conquered the top of the charts, only boosts the feeling that the songs are very similar to one another (too similar to one another). In the future the band will have to either take a longer break or break out of the trap they’re caught in, by setting themselves a new artistic challenge and stretching their expressive musical character. At the very least with a production where the guitars effectively “grab” within the lead phrases. There’s too much self-replication this time around, and that’s what grates.
White Widdow – Surrender My Heart (official video):
Lineup
Jules Millis – vocals
Enzo Almanzi – guitar
Xavier Millis – keyboards
Ben Webster – bass guitar
Noel Tenny – drums
Production
Xavier Millis
Tracklist
1. Stranded
2. Surrender My Heart
3. Living For The Night
4. Last Chance For Love
5. Wild At Heart
6. Damage Is Done
7. Game Of Love
8. Smile For The Camera
9. Waited
10. Sleeping With The Enemy
