Rock is a broad genre, a very broad genre indeed. And whilst many artists working within it seem content to drill down into niches, unnecessary sub-genres, and very specific sounds, what is refreshing about Animal Steel is that they have no fear mixing and merging and melding those genres and drawing them together into a sound that ebbs and flows between the symphonic and the metallic, the energetic and the astute, the muscular and the melodic, the powerful and the poignant.
Songs are, at a turn, centred on Floydian drifts and bombastic classic rock urges, neo-classical grace and hard-edged riffs, progressive complexity and unexpected accessibility, technical playing and spacious deliveries. Sometimes all within the same song.
Conclusions of All Thoughts sounds like a gorgeous blend of robust indie-folk vibes and pop-aware melodics slowly subsumed under layers of sophisticated rock music. Here, Vedrolina’s vocals feel like an instrument in their own right. Dead Before Sunrise is a dense blend of rock tones and classical textures, a scintillating display of elegant rock music being turned into progressive eloquence, and the title track wanders between soaring guitar crescendos and lulling vocal lows, between the world of cinematic scores and stadium rock anthemics.
If your vision of rock music is one of foot-on-the-monitor frenzy, lowest common denominator three-chord thrash or songs about cars and girls, then Animal Steel is the sort of music you need to set the record straight.
It is fashioned more along modern classical composition than standard rock traditions. If most rock music is full of bravado and haste, this is the sound of total control. If most rock music is a quick hit, this is music to be savoured, examined and enjoyed over many replays. If most rock has little to say, this is the sound of not only smart vocals but also music which speaks in terms of emotions, going to the head, yes, but also to the heart and soul of the listener.
It’s too concise and controlled to be regarded as a prog rock, but it is too smart to be grouped with most other rock on the market. Intelligent rock? Heavy music with smarts. Rock with a PhD? Call it what you will; just buy it. Now!