Artist: Remora Deign
Title: Catharsis
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/remoradeign
Style: Indie/Emo
Label: Unsigned
Rating: 8 of 10
By Staff Writer Michael Dittman
When a band loses a member (or members) during the recording of an album, it usually doesn't bode well. This was the situation that Remora Deign found themselves in 2007.
The band, founded by bassist Ben Milliron, and guitarist and vocalist Kyle Hoffman in early 2004 already had one album under their belts, 2004's lackluster Red Skies and Lullabies. By Summer 2007, after a series of lineup changes Milliron and Hoffman found themselves as the only remaining members of the band with an album, Catharsis that needed finishing touches and an infusion of cash.
The vast majority of unsigned (and signed for that matter) artists would have thrown their hands up and cut their losses, chalking it up to a learning process. Instead, they dug in, re-imagining themselves (with the addition of Garth Porter as drummer) as a trio and released Catharsis, a striking album worth the wait and a tribute to artistic perseverance.
Remora Deign keeps the crybaby lyrics, but reaches into a something a little harder for their second wave emo music. Vocalist Kial Hoffman's voice is strong and clear while having a bit of emotional straining.
The fat bass lines pay a mostly debt to more theatrical sounding atmospheric metal bands (could a Francis the Mute - style concept album be in the future?).
It's easy to see why they have such a following in Northwestern Pennsylvania - Catharsis has a big time band sound (even though it was produced by the band) while the players are, by all accounts, friendly, funny, and ready to talk to fans. Of course, a band that relies on fan support as much as RD has to play out. A lot. And they do, with amped and acoustic shows. And in the studio, with Catharsis, they've created a really radio friendly and beyond that a really radio ready pop album that deserves a wider audience.
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Indie Music
