<font color="#ffffff" size="2"><font size="2"><p>Nural formed in May of 2000 in Orange County. They started off as a Ska band but slowly made the transition into a band that is different from most. Unlike other bands that growl or scream or pull off hardcore riffs, these guys keep it simple and make it work with melodic vocals and straight-edge guitar work. With the release of their first studio album "The Weight of the World" on Hopeless Records these guys have been touring non-stop promoting, and also releasing a video for their single The Curse. And everyday things are looking up for these guys.<br /><br />Nural:<br />Kyle Castellani-Vocals<br />Ryan Davis-Guitar<br />Aaron Breding-Drums<br />Charley Hoy-Guitar<br />Kyle Black-Bass</p></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><p>1. Tension - The album starts off strong with a nice vocal intro and heavy guitar riffs. The drums keep the mood of the song in the first verse when everything stops. The chorus is pretty much the intro done a couple times. The breakdown is a nice heavy pull-off riff. Everything slows down during the bridge and Kyle comes in quietly. Then when things pick up Ryan busts out a tapped solo. The song finishes with some eerie bends and heavy percussions. 5/5</p><p>2. Chasing You - I actually tabbed this song out, but that's besides the point. The song starts out with heavy guitars and a nice lead by Ryan. The verse is well done with some nice clean guitars and some tremelo effects and the heavy guitar transitions in the middle of the verses. The chorus is very well sung as well, Kyle doesn't fail in this song. The bass work during the verses is also well done. 4/5</p><p>3. The Curse - The song starts off with some irregular patterns and harmonized guitar riffs but soon kicks into some high octane guitar work before cutting into a clean verse riff. Kyle keeps the vocals clean and concise. The drums hold it all together through to the end. The second verse is extended with some heavy guitar parts. The song ends with a repeated Chorus and Kyle repeating "then she walked inside". 5/5</p><p>4. Lukewarm - Lukewarm is heavy from the beginning to the end and doesn't disappoint. Kyle's vocals are well done in this song and the feeling he gives in this song makes it even more brutal. The guitars are harmonized during the breakdown and the drums hold it all together with a nice fill at the end. 5/5</p><p>5. Not Guilty - This song is very heavy similar to Lukewarm but still maintaining it's own style. Kyle's vocals give this song a nice brutal touch as well. And Ryan comes in with a nice solo about a minute and thirty five seconds in. The song ends on a heavy percussion bass beat and segues into the next song. 5/5</p><p>6. The Root Of All Evil - This song gives us a nice taste of Kyle's vocals as he shifts from quiet silent verses to heavy choruses. The piano throughout makes this song one to remember. And the guitar work is very impressive with Ryans solo about 2:40 into the song. The drums are good but nothing to get excited over. The song ends with Kyle singing silently. 4/5</p><p>7. Sign of Life - The clean guitars and acoustic in this song give it the right feel and match up to Kyle's voice during the first voice. The layering of vocals during the second verse is well done. The song finally kicks up in the Chorus when the heavy guitars come in and Kyle's vocal liven up a little, but it's not enough to keep me interested anymore. The drums are nothing special. And the bass is almost non-existent. 3/5</p><p>8. Enlighten Me - This song never really got my attention at all. I always forgot about this one. There is nothing special about this song. There is some acoustic going on behind certains parts of the song. Kyle's vocals are consistent as always but nothing else in this song is really worth listening to. 2/5</p><p>9. I Told You So - This song comes in with a clean lead a Kyle whispering some lyrics. The verse is also pretty silent with clean dual guitar riffs. The Chorus is nice and heavy, a much needed touch to keep the song alive. This is probably the only song where Kyle's vocals give out a little, the cracks are very subtle, nothing to turn you off. The breakdown is very heavy and it kept me listening to the song. The drums come in with quick fills and the guitars pull off some nasty bends. The song finishes repeating some choruses. 5/5 </p><p>10. Years To Come - The song starts out with some heavy guitar riffs which are repeated throughout the song. Kyle's vocals are great as always. But the drums and bass are nothing to get excited over. 2/5</p><p>11. Forgive Me - Kyle comes in behind some piano and hits some high notes during the first verse of the song and what seems to be a first chorus. The violins give the song a mellow feel which completes the song. The layered vocals are also nice throughout the later points of the song. The guitars, drums, and bass are non-existent in this song and it's kind of a turn off although this song really shows off Kyle's vocals and it does a good job of it. 4/5</p><p>12. How Do You Sleep At Night - After being non-existent throughout the album the bass is resurrected from the dead and comes in with a nice intro riff. This song seems as though it's following the bass most times. But the guitars do a good job of pulling off nice riffs especially during Ryan's solo. The drums repeat the same pattern throughout most of the song until Ryans second solo comes in, until the end of the song, where the bass drum is changed up a little. Kyle's vocals are very eerie at points and it works for the feel of the song. 4/5</p><p>Overall, this album has it's moments most of the heavy songs are in the beginning and the slower more mellow songs are towards the end as it is with most albums of any artist. What makes this album worthwhile is mostly the vocals. Most of the time the drums and bass are simple enough to forget while the guitars are doing incredible things. But it's mostly about the vocals, their is no screaming which makes this different and difficult to categorize. But this is definitely worth a listen.</p><p>Overall: 4/5</p></font></font>
