Covenant - Northern Light

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Music reviews of Northern Light

Music Review: Headline News - Covenant Evolves... Some Fans Annoyed
Rating: 4 Stars

"Bullet" may be the best song they have ever written. With its mid-tempo beat, percolating synths and focus on the vocals & lyrics it reminds me most of "Like Tears in Rain", my personal favorite from USoM. These 2 songs are the signature tracks in Covenant's new sound, foregoing the harder edge of past anthems like "Stalker"

"Prometheus" and "Atlas" are similar tracks, both minimalist musically and featuring literary references to mythical heroes. The sweeping, shifting tones and Eskil's voice take front stage, backed by original-sounding, but less pummeling, beats. "Invisible & Silent" is another where the hardness is gone but the edge is still sharp, just in a different way. The angst still remains but it is muted by understanding and an emotional maturity not present before. "Winter Comes" fits in this mold too, and gives off an appropriately wintry chill. These offbeat tracks grow on you a lot, though they will throw you off at first much in the way th songs like "Pikachu" or "Rebel" sometimes catch Apoptygma Berzerk fans off guard. Fans should also consider this, VNV Nation is moving in a similar direction, think "Carbon" or "Airships", and their next release may be more in this vein than in the "Praise the Fallen" vein. In short, get used to it - the bands have moved on while you're standing still waiting for the next floor-filler - well maybe that's what Icon of Coil is for.

"Call the Ships to Port" is the link between the old and the new, more of an old-time floor-packer than the others. The beat, especially on the single version, is absolutely crushing. Eskil's voice is cold and distant as are the electronics. The song matches the album's title and cover art with its frozen feel. Toward the end the coldness melts away in a passionate blaze as the beats and vocals climb in intensity. This is the song that will appeal most to old-schoolers who dislike the changed sound; I'd strongly suggest the beat-heavy single.

"We Stand Alone" starts as a moderately paced song but ends more like a traditional Covenant single like "Call the Ships to Port". It could have been a single. Those with short attention spans might check out since the pace doesn't pick up for a couple of minutes. You really have to be careful of doing the quick scan on new Covenant albums as songs often don't reveal their true nature until later. Maybe this is what annoys some people, however the more patient will end up preferring the new style.

Perhaps the band themselves sum it up best in the zippy "We Want Revolution": "We want revolution, constant evolution." Clearly the band wants to constantly evolve and stay fresh; maybe some of their fans don't feel the same. I think Covenant is right.

Description of Northern Light

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Dance & Electronic
• Pop