Review by Rachel Jablonski
Typically, a standard music review will relay who, what, when, and where, but rarely will it venture into the realm of why and how. Rather than rehashing simple facts continually, the challenge of digging deeper, exploring perceived purpose, and describing how it is carried out is important to me so that things are kept interesting. I would like to think that the amount time and opportunity I give each album might allow me to see things I might have otherwise missed. After spending much time with the debut album from Sweden’s Seethings however, I am sadly at a loss for words. The promise sparked by the first listen simply did not expand or even uphold as I would have hoped.
Thirteen tracks solid of catchy radio friendly tunes compose the Parallels album. Melodic vocals and heavy guitar hooks are bound to capture any listener for a length of time. I, too, was caught initially. Yet I found that with increased listens mundane sound begins seep from track to track and the lack of variety quickly becomes tedious. Not to say that this will be a turn-off for everyone. Vocal melodies throughout the album blend nicely with the overall sound and stick perfectly to the tempo. Any vocal harshness is placed neatly at the end of a melody line if at all. The vocal styling seems to parallel a combination between Taproot and the Deadlights interestingly enough. The musical backdrop is reassuringly steady and uncomplicated to listen to as well. Overall the album is one complete mainstream masterpiece uninterrupted from start to finish. The only break in conventional flow comes about with “Succumb,” a brief interlude composed of skipping beats and random sounds.
Parallels is a well-produced album that is simply listener friendly. So listener friendly, in fact, that multiple listens may prove uninteresting.