Zeal |
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The packaging for this short CD release immediately sets itself aside from the average EP. Looking handmade from card with loose inserts, the care and attention paid to the design alone catches your eye and makes you want to listen.
Of course the music is the key factor and Apeldoorn’s Zeal don’t disappoint. This three-track effort highlights a crisp, clear sound built up from layers of atmospheric guitars and melodies. It actually isn’t too far away from where The Gathering currently are in their careers. Okay, so Zeal don’t have that same wealth of experience behind them, but their songwriting ability appears strong, recreating a complete vision of what they want to achieve.
Yvonne Achterkamp’s vocals also sit nicely on top of the music throughout - possibly reaching their most powerful point during the last track ‘Fire At Will’, as emotions begin to spill out more freely in comparison to the other tracks. The shared vocal melodies of ‘Landslide’ also make for a highlight of the CD, leaving you with the notion that Zeal surely have some interesting music ahead of them.
Steven McCarron
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