Style: Atmospheric/Groove/Djent (clean vocals)
Review by: Jonah
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 30-09-2018
NOTE: This album was originally included in the September 2018 issue of The Progressive Subway
So this is a hard one. When coming into this genre I was asking myself what the hell Atmospheric Groove metal was. The answer? Apparently Devin Townsend worship with some djent thrown in. Does that sound bad? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. The quality level on this album varies wildly, and I cannot for the life of me decide if I’ve enjoyed listening to it or not. I make no pretense of knowing what the influences the various band members have are, but to my ear at the very least, here is what I noticed:
First of all, the vocalist is doing a Devin Townsend impression. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but the way he structures his vocal melodies, the way his vocals are layered, everything about it reminds me especially of Transcendence and Epicloud’s heavier tracks. The riff structure also has a definite Townsend feel, with a lot of major key riffs and generally upbeat stylings to go along with the chugging (not to mention the random falsetto “aaaaaaa”s that sometimes accompany riffy sections for…some reason). The drumming reminds me more of Devin’s Strapping Young Lad days, but still fits the general “Devin-worship” genre that I’m going to assign this band. There’s even some orchestral synths that once again fill out that general post-Deconstruction Devin Townsend sound.
It should be noted that the vocalist is relatively technically proficient, and has some legitimately good vocal passages throughout the album. However, it feels like he hasn’t quite found his personal vocal style yet, and on a few tracks it shows. The guitars are generally unoriginal, but enjoyable enough. The riffs are all riffs I’ve heard before, but they’re beefy enough and carry the groove. The lead guitar is enjoyable as well, with some neat atmospheric sections that are some of the few moments I’m not thinking about how much I would rather be listening to Devin throughout this album.
Ramage Inc.’s debut album isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a lot of ideas I feel like I’ve heard before. Should you listen? I think so, because there’s a decent amount of good stuff here. Just don’t go in looking for originality.
Recommended tracks: Overload, Rhino, At One With Many Mountains
Recommended for fans of: Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend Project
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Ramage Inc. is:
– Byran Ramage (vocals)
– Allan Forsyth (guitars)
– Paul Hameed (drums)
– Marcin Buczek (bass)
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