Review Summary: Canadian EDM artist. Not bad at all.
Here we have a combination of EDM/dubstep/house. Spiral brings the club ready tunes to the yard… or does it? Bangers rifle the album, but calling Rezz a Queen of anything seems undeserved here despite her status. This is a decent album, with the same combination of blazing loud bass, pop, and guest singers that you’ve heard eleven years ago. The claim of uniqueness here is that tracks are often under the genre of midtempo (trance and house with slowed down beats), but as the album plays out the claim of uniqueness falls short. Still, despite its flaws, Spiral is a solid EDM release, with a collection of pleasant tunes and rompers.
I’d be remiss to not mention the good tracks. Chemical Bond is a banger, starting like trap until that dirty bass comes in, practically yelling at you to wake up and get ready for the album. It’s not unique, but it’s a great opener. The next song reminds me of HEALTH’s track on the Max Payne 3 soundtrack, which is always a great comparison. Whispery pop vocals meet gradually climaxing electronics until the chorus which brings the clicky electronics to the offbeat, producing a shimmering, danceable wall of sound. Sacrificial is also one of my favourites on the album, it’s a smooth EDM song with a large emphasis on pop - it’s nice, easy listening. Out Of My Head is as well, though I wouldn’t call it a highlight. Unfortunately, clunkers like Paper Walls and Taste of You drag the album way down, with mediocre flavouring at best. There aren’t that many highlights in total, which is unfortunate.
I was about halfway through the album when I realized it wasn’t improving. It’s all pretty catchy, and definitely enough for a club, but I wouldn’t call this standout music. I was expecting something more special with the dubstep/midtempo tracks (which litter the album), but the bass drops and rhythms were rather forgettable. There’s some cool ideas and sounds that are reminiscent of horror movies, but it’s often window dressing for rhythms that lack nuance. The flow of the album is another issue, transitioning between poppy tracks and bass heavy bangers at the flip of a switch.
Spiral has a nice handful of solid tracks, that generally get the adrenaline flowing. Rezz isn’t making a huge statement, but this album can certainly compete in the mainstream. Some songs have a creepy vibe, producing an almost uncomfortable sound. This is the most unique form of Rezz, and it entertains. There’s enough of these moments, along with blistering bass, and catchy pop, to make this a worthwhile EDM release.
