Ice Vajal :: Music Land :: Metal World
 
editorial :: feedback :: newsletter ::  
   Bands :: A-Z / A / Alpha Academy /

On disc: Alpha Academy



The Promise Of The Light - Claudia Ehrhardt - 8 stars


www.alphaacademy.de







The Promise Of The Light

The Promise Of The Light
(SPV - 2010)


Alpha Academy is a young alternative rock band from Germany. The foursome started in 2007 and soon had some songs to take part on 2008's Radio FFN 'New Sensation' contest. The became #3 in this contest and in 2009 the released an EP called The City Is Burning, at that time they already had two fan clubs and toured in Germany as support of Tobias Regner. Booking agent Extratours signed them and Guano Apes drummer Dennis Poschwatta handled the pre-production for their first full-length album. Benjamin Schäfer produced The Promise Of The Light at famous Horus Sound Studios in Hanover. Then Mats Lipman did the mastering at Cutting Room Studios (Stockholm).
They kick off with In Your Eyes, a powerful rocker with a melancholy touch which soon will hook you up. But Make Me Feel is the one they choose as a single. Perhaps because it has a more positive feeling... The guys from Göttingen should catch the interest of fans of alternative rock á la Mando Diao. They also offer a new version of The City Is Burning and Wake Up, but as I don't know the originals, I can't tell how much they changed. But it seems that the new songs are more vivid and powerful... Perhaps it's the live experience which is now showing through in their compositions... Check out Walls to get an idea about Alpha Academy!





Songs like Everything You Need and Don't Run Away show what them powerful and emotional. Slowly they kick off Catch Me When I Fall, a balladesque tune which offers some up-tempo rock parts as well. One of my favorites is Scream You Story, an emotional tune, but I would wish they would risk more and offer a real ballad, a touching tune. The closer is a riff-based rocker called End Of The World which also sticks out due to the drum pattern at the opening part. Later they seem to follow their own scheme again, luckily they return to the opening theme.
The German youngsters present a decent full-length debut with some really catchy tunes. I would like them a bit more varying, but that's just a minor critizism. Soon Alpha Academy will go on tour and support Die Happy in Germany, so check them out live, if you get the chance. Meanwhile head over to their MySpace to get a first impression!


8 stars

Claudia Ehrhardt
 

up

• E-Mail: contact@ice-vajal.com