Taravana
Prevail


4.5
superb

Review

by KriegdemKriege USER (20 Reviews)
November 19th, 2015 | 29 replies


Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist

Review Summary: More complex and layered than anything else in the Taravana discography, Prevail should leave us all excited to see what Taravana will have in store for us in 2016.

It has been a busy year for Alex Newton, songwriter and mastermind behind Taravana. He began 2015 by releasing A Visible Chill, an excellent EP that stands among the best metal releases of the year. If Newton had taken the rest of the year off, he would have had a lot to be proud of based on the strength of that EP alone; but here we are, just 11 short months later, and Taravana is releasing not another EP, but a full-length album. This album, Prevail, is the followup to the project's 2013 full-length debut, Love and Legends, and the quality of the album is consistent with all of Newton's previous work: excellent. Prevail is every bit as strong as A Visible Chill, although it is significantly different in style. But Taravana has never been content in playing one style of music; Love and Legends was a relatively straightforward power metal album, while A Visible Chill is best described as instrumental folk/black metal. Prevail is an album which merges the two sounds, with the result being a predominantly power metal album with a healthy sampling of folk and black metal elements spread throughout.

A lot has changed about the project since its early days. From Taravana’s formation in 2010 to mid-2015 Alex Newton was the sole member, and he took it to himself to record all instruments and vocals on previous releases. Besides the shift in genre, what separates Prevail from Taravana’s earlier work is the presence of other musicians besides Newton. Taravana is no longer a one man project; Newton is now joined by Dan Bussells, who recorded guitars on the album and who will be the band's guitarist moving forward, and Aaron Maloney of This or the Apocalypse and Waverunner, who recorded, mixed, and produced the album, as well as provided session drumming, bass, harmony vocals, and additional keyboards. Besides the three core musicians of Newton, Bussells, and Maloney, Prevail also features a handful of additional guest musicians who all play an important role in making the album excellent.

Although Newton has proved with A Visible Chill that he is more than capable of recording all instruments on his own, these additional musicians contribute significantly to the album's success. Although the synthesized guitar used on A Visible Chill worked well with that album's harsh production, the much more professionally-produced Prevail benefits greatly from having real guitars on the album, performed by the capable Bussells, and while Newton's drumming on previous albums was acceptable, the consistently strong drumming provided by Maloney is a marked improvement. One of the album's highlights is "Until You Slip Away," a soothing instrumental which sandwiches the album's two heaviest tracks, "Prevail" and "Owned By the Ocean." Although Newton's piano work on the track is excellent as always, what really makes this song a success is the beautiful cello work performed on it by Raphael Weinroth-Browne. Another guest musician is given the chance to shine on “Owned By the Ocean,” which concludes with an impressive guitar solo performed by Mitch Wessell. The inclusion of these guest musicians not only improves the album's sound significantly, but also gives Prevail a sense of community lacking from Taravana's previous releases; for once, this is a group effort, and it is clear that everyone worked hard to make the album a success.

Regarding the songs themselves, Newton's songwriting is as strong as ever. As stated already, Prevail is notably different in sound from Taravana's previous work. Almost as if it was added as an intentional tease, the first minute of the album's opening track, "Endurance," consists of a piano melody that breaks into a guitar riff that sounds like it could have been sampled directly from A Visible Chill, but by the time the folky synthesizer riff comes in just past the 2 minute mark, all similarities between Prevail and Newton's last release, which was itself significantly different from 2013's Love and Legends, become virtually non-existent. It is perhaps misleading to say that Newton has grown significantly as a songwriter this last year, as this implies that his previous work was inferior or underdeveloped; what should instead be said is that Newton has shifted successfully to a new sound that demonstrates his dedication to covering new ground with his music.

The songs on Prevail are undoubtedly more complex and layered than anything else in the Taravana discography, and each of the songs' long lengths (excluding the short instrumental interludes) give Newton plenty of opportunities to experiment within a single song. Each song has multiple distinct sections that transition seamlessly, allowing a natural progression through different musical themes. An excellent example of this is the album's title track, which starts off with a catchy folk metal segment which leads into a black metal verse (betraying Newton's strong Moonsorrow influence), before transforming into power metal. The song ends with a dissonant instrumental segment that features some smooth guitar work by Bussells. Although Prevail is an example of Newton exploring new territory, everything here is still distinctly Taravana. There are plenty of instrumental piano breaks, which have become a signature aspect of the band's sound.

It must be said that Newton's songwriting is not the only aspect of Taravana that has developed over the years. One of the best aspects of Prevail is Newton's vocals, which have improved greatly since the debut. While Love and Legends showcased straightforward power metal vocals which, while effective, lacked diversity, Prevail features a wide range of vocalizations, from strong power metal harmonies (see the end of “Endurance”), death growls on “Owned By the Ocean” and the start of “Endurance,” and the aforementioned black metal vocals present on the title track. All of these vocal experiments are a success, but Newton’s voice is at its absolute best on the superb “Cape Evans,” a power metal ballad which serves as the album’s climax and is hands down the best song on the album (and of Taravana’s career to date). With a running time of over 10 minutes, “Cape Evans” is the longest track on the album, but every second is necessary for the song to make its impact. As if to prove that he is able to compete with Wessell (and he certainly can), the piece concludes with a tasteful and impressive guitar solo performed by Bussells, which serves as the perfect way to end an already excellent song.

As with all other releases in the Taravana discography, Prevail is a concept album. While A Visible Chill dealt with the Scottish legend of the Greyman, Prevail returns to the nautical themes of Love and Legends. Prevail, which is subtitled “The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition,” tells the tale of Ernest Shackleton's famous voyage to the Antarctic. The album loosely follows Shackleton’s voyage chronologically from his departure in December of 1914 to the return voyage in August of 1916. Although this is a promising concept, it must be said that for all the talk of a concept album, the storytelling is a bit lacking. The lyrics do little to move the story along for the listener; much is left open to interpretation, with Newton relying mostly on atmosphere to move the story forward. That being said, the last two tracks do wrap up the album very well. “Cape Evans” is a touching farewell song based on letters sent between Aeneas Mackintosh and his wife throughout the voyage, and the album’s concluding song is “The Freshest Breeze,” a piece described by Newton as an attempt to recall the sea shanties sung by sailors on the trip home. The song would not have been out of place on Love and Legends, and it is a fitting and effective way to end the album:

“So here’s to those lost who will never find shore
May the gods remember their names
Now the day, no it ain’t so far away
When we’re finally home”

All in all, there is little to criticize with Prevail. The album is every bit as good as A Visible Chill, and is in many ways (particularly in regards to production and instrumentation) superior. While the storytelling aspect of the album is a bit weak, this is a minor issue which does not detract from the quality of the album in any significant way. Prevail is an excellent album, and the consistent strength of Newton’s work should leave us all excited to see what Taravana will have in store for us in 2016.



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user ratings (14)
3.6
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
KriegdemKriege
November 19th 2015


1544 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Sputnik's resident Taravana reviewer returns after a year of hibernation.



Check this out guys. The album comes out on the 21st and can be streamed here:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcpvzXeA5Bw

Ebola
November 19th 2015


4589 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Really psyched to check this out; sounds pretty great. Sweet review too, pos

KriegdemKriege
November 19th 2015


1544 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Thanks friend!

Judio!
November 19th 2015


8501 Comments


Great review as always. Cool to see a user album get so much praise.

KriegdemKriege
November 19th 2015


1544 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Thanks Judio. I hope you're doing well.

Sevengill
November 19th 2015


12563 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Killer review, Krieg! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Judio!
November 19th 2015


8501 Comments


Yeah man I'm doing great, how've you been Kriege? Feel like I haven't seen you around too much lately bro.

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
November 19th 2015


6216 Comments


Sweet, definitely gonna check this one out.

KriegdemKriege
November 20th 2015


1544 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Good to hear Judio! You haven't seen me around here because I haven't been around! It's been a crazy year. Spent 6 months in Europe and I've been busy as hell with school and working on new music!

Judio!
November 20th 2015


8501 Comments


Oh damn, sounds like a great reason to be away from Sput haha. Cool to hear that you're working on new music man, I didn't even realize you made music!

CaimanJesus
November 21st 2015


3815 Comments


I've only heard owned by the ocean, but this sounds pretty sweet

user
November 21st 2015


1585 Comments


great review. really enjoying the album so far, nice job.

pretty cool to see two user albums get featured. nice seeing site unity.

Lord(e)Po)))ts
November 21st 2015


70256 Comments


this is especially not shitty for a genre of music that is generally exceptionally shitty as fuck tbh.

would never ever listen to any more of this ever ever again but yeah its well done and my inner 14 year old would probably approve keep slaying goblins and wearing studded gauntlets or whatever bud

jimmykidd
November 21st 2015


640 Comments


damn, those recs! might have to check this.

great review, KriegdemKriege

Piripichotes
November 21st 2015


855 Comments


This is an incredible effort! I need to spin it more to rate it, but I'd say is bordering the 4.3 mark... I find the production kinda weird, like oldschoolish, but I dig it, it sets an atmosphere which I guess was the point. Really glad I took the time to listen to this, once is out is gonna be a top 2015's release for me...

Piripichotes
November 21st 2015


855 Comments


I get hints of Pharaoh and Falconer...

Sevengill
November 21st 2015


12563 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Really appreciate the feedback and support, guys. Actual link to download it is https://taravanamusic.bandcamp.com/ now that it's out.

Gameofmetal
Emeritus
November 23rd 2015


11761 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

how did alex dickfuck newton get a guy from tota to play on his gayboi album



how



albums sounding pretty good so far not gunna lie

Sevengill
November 24th 2015


12563 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Actually, he's the one who contacted me about doing this album. That was an easy answer.

DungeonBoy
November 25th 2015


9960 Comments


Recommended by Reviewer:
Agalloch - The Mantle
Gamma Ray - Somewhere Out in Space
0___0

will check?



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