My first impressions of this EP was that it holds no punches, first track ‘All or Nothing’ jumps straight in with hard hitting riffs, crunching guitars and strong vocals from front man Jonny Hetherington. This EP reminded me of why I love American rock, it took me straight back to my youth and had me tapping my foot within seconds.
Second track ‘Torn Down’ demonstrates great vocal control and has a very strong context. The song talks about being fed up of the rises and falls of life and has a dark undertone and how the story teller has decided it’s enough. It inspires the listener to essentially get up and fight back with the lyrics “I know I’m stronger!”.
Title track ‘Nevermore’ comes into play as the third track, and mixes things up with a classic rock power ballad. This is one to really sing along to! Despite the song being about a break up, it’s disguised in a catchy hook that leaves you clenching your fists and belting out the lyrical break up chorus in your kitchen, car or shower. I’m sure my neighbors now love me.
The EP is a wonderful mix of hard rock, commercial rock, classic rock and just the right pinch of a grungy undertone. Track five ‘Paradise’ is a great example of this and reminds me a bit of Nirvana. Needless to say, I love it. It’s the kind of EP that you could listen to over and over and not get bored. It’s really takes you on an adventure and reminds me of exactly why I started my love affair with the rock genre in the first place.
As much as I’d like to give this 10 stars, I can only give it five…because that’s all we go up to!
