Stories
The Youth to Become
Release Date: 14 August 2015
UNFD
Review by Patrick Warnes
Northern beaches act Stories are back with a new story to tell. They have released The Youth to Become, which finds Stories taking a more hardcore approach to their music as opposed to their much heavier djent influenced EP.
When you play the album the first thing you’ll discover is the significant change in Morgan’s vocal style, which goes from a deep growl to a more yelling style which I actually prefer. I find it freshens things up for the band and gives them a bit more accessibility. The instrumentation stopped djenting in favour of straight up heavy riffing with melodic licks chucked in frequently, which is nice to see.
The album starts off with State of Intermittence, which clocks in at just 1 minute 50 but that doesn’t mean less quality at all, with Stories pulverising the listener with any opportunity possible. A False Sense of Security continues this intensity while songs like Under Haze and Shadow Window show different perspectives to Stories, which are more brooding and experimental then what their EP offered.
Ultimately the direction change was a smart one by the band with it resulting in a more enjoyable and memorable affair then their previous EP. These guys could well put the Northern Beaches on the map in the heavy scene.
