Review: White Walls – Grandeur

Style: Progressive Metal, Melodic Metal, Alternative Metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Mike
Country: Romania
Release date: 23 October, 2020

Serendipitous connections that lead to little discoveries are always fun.

At a previous job with a software company, I had the pleasure of working with a group of developers from Romania. We’d meet every morning via video chat from separate continents and everyone I met there was incredibly nice. So when I saw a promo from an unfamiliar Romanian band, those pleasant memories came back and felt like as good a reason as any to check them out. The seventh most populated country in the EU may not be a hot bed for headbanging but White Walls may just prove to be a pleasant surprise.

Grandeur is their 3rd album over the last decade or so, and first since 2013. I would describe their sound as melodic progressive metal in the vein of The Contortionist or Voyager with heavier/harsh elements mixed in that would draw comparisons to bands like The Ocean or Textures. The songs on Grandeur tend to be structured in a more traditional verse-chorus-verse style. The progginess comes in the form of some well placed time signature/rhythmic/dynamic changes to keep things interesting. A 70/30 mix of clean to harsh vocals also adds to the diversity, along with a contrast between atmospheric, crystalline sections and fat, groovy, almost djenty riffs.

I was legitimately surprised by the production quality of the album. Unlike a lot of underground bands, White Walls had the good fortune to work with an established producer in Forrester Savell, who has previously worked with bands like Karnivool, Animals As Leaders, Dead Letter Circus, Good Tiger, and Skyharbor. Having Forrester mix and master Grandeur was a good decision as the album sounds polished, professional, and contemporary in comparison to other modern metal. The mix is balanced and spacious, the guitars are crisp & chunky, the bass feels thick & substantial, the drums are sharp without being overbearing, and the vocals are nicely layered.

The single “Eye For An I” is a good representation of what I think the band is trying to achieve by combining a few different styles. The track’s intro and first verse could pass as a new-era Mastodon track; a half-time feel heavy drone with harmonically dissonant guitar transitions to uptempo drums and quick-moving power chords with harsh vocals. The chorus drops the tempo back down again but introduces a very clean melody that floats above the band. They then ramp back up but switch to a more groovy approach showing their versatility. After another verse & chorus, they show their understanding of dynamics by building tension with a sparse drum roll & guitar. They continue the swell to a fever pitch with intense vocals and fierce drums before dropping almost all instrumentation for the dramatic return of the chorus.

White Walls isn’t reinventing the wheel with anything on this album but they are displaying that they have a good understanding of the subtleties that make for interesting and compelling music. The songs aren’t all exceptional. There are a few tracks that I might describe as filler but even in those instances the overall attention to detail keeps you listening without losing interest. While I’m not very familiar with their previous output, on the surface it appears that they have improved their core songwriting and will hopefully continue that trend on future albums.

All in all, the more time I spend with Grandeur, the more impressed I am with this album. Ultimately I would recommend the album to those who tend to lean more towards melodic rock & metal versus those that are looking for more complex prog. So if you appreciate well produced, refined melodic metal, then just go on ahead and give Grandeur a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Recommended tracks: Eye For An I, Starfish Crown, Marche Funèbre
Recommended for fans of: The Contortionist, Voyager, Textures
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independant

White Walls is:

– Alexandru-Eduard Dascălu – guitar
– Eugen Brudaru – vocals
– Șerban-Ionuț Georgescu – bass
– Theo Scrioșteanu – drums