Owen Tromans & The Elders - The Fall of Acre

According to the press release, this is an album of two movements. Perhaps predictably, all the big guns are saved for the second half, which, despite building to an impressive climax, nevertheless leaves the first half a dozen tracks seeming a little underwhelming. The general sound of part one is (and I hasten to say it) pop punk, but from track six onwards, it’s like a different (and much more exciting) band have commandeered the studio. The Dead-Eyed Man is a folky shanty of almost primal simplicity, whilst the Terrible Bird is delicate acoustic ballad that shows off the nuanced talents of Tromans; things get suitably apocalyptic as the lyrical protagonist meets Death himself. Maybe it’s unfair to chastise a songwriter for rocking out; it’s just that there’s a real lyrical talent on show here, and maybe a little less distortion would allow it to breathe a little more.