NORTH SEA ECHOES
NORTH SEA ECHOES “Really Good Terrible Things”
By Colonel Angus
Let me start off by saying that I have been a FATES WARNING fan for almost four decades and when I heard that they are basically done as a recording unit, I was really depressed. They have been a constant for so many years in my musical soundtrack that the thought of them not being there gave me an empty feeling. Thankfully, I have had a couple of RAY ALDER solo albums to keep me company until Jim Matheos released something through one of his many projects (all of which are worth getting). As if Christmas wasn’t done delivering gift, February 2024 sees Matheos and Alder teaming up together for another album that is very different but does have a connection to a FATES WARNING tune (more on that later). Now, before you all get excited thinking you will get another FATES WARNING type of release, this is a very different beast that concentrates more on mood and feeling and less on musical dexterity. Now don’t get me wrong, there are spots where you will hear a bit of their former band but it move into more ambient territory where you sit back and let the music wash over you like an ocean wave. I alluded to this earlier, if you like “When Show Falls” from the last disk “Long Day Good Night”, then you will love this record as it is full of material that hearkens back to that song.
“Really Good Terrible Things” starts off with their first single “Open Book” which has a very haunting, melancholy feel but also contains some great guitar work form Matheos. Alder also sound fantastic and I feel that as the years progressed, his voice has developed this rich tome that works perfectly with these types of moody tracks. Musically, “Flower in Decay” is more upbeat but the lyrics still have that melancholy vibe about it. The music reminds me of sitting on the beach watching the ocean do its thing even the words don’t quite match that feeling. Second single “Unmoved” follows similarly to the first song but here, Alder really shines as he sings the every words so effortlessly. Next up is “Throwing Stones’ and there is a lyric that really resonated with me. It is “I know sometimes it feels like we’re walking around in circle endlessly” which is something that I think we all feel at one point or another in our lifetime. It’s elements like that really bring the listener into a piece of music where they feel like the band is writing about them creating that connection.
The track “Empty” is the heaviest the record gets but it starts off kind of slow and mellow but builds into this great distorted chorus. I feel that this song could have easily been on either one of the last two FATES WARNING records. I’m sure it’s difficult to not sound like their former band especially since they were the main songwriters but these types of tracks are the exception more than the rule. Things stay in a similar vein with “The Mission” which is has hit written all over it. It is more upbeat and while it does start off with an ambient drone, it kicks in very quickly and stays there for the duration of the tune. The track that reminds me the most to “When Snow Falls” from “Long Day Good Night” is “Where I’m From”. It contains the same vibe but also brings in some more of the upbeat elements on “Really Good Terrible Things”.
The album ends with three tracks that are very different in the mood that they evoke. “We Move Around the Sun” is the ballad and while Alder sings about time marching on, it isn’t really a sad song but more hopeful with lines about “dreams we never had may still come true”. As we live our lives, there is still hope in what tomorrow can bring. The dream-like “Touch the Sky” has more of a somber tone with the emotional guitar solo conjuring up a hint of sadness. Matheos is excellent at making his guitar “talk” and throughout the record, his solos feel like an extension of the lyrics. Finishing things off, we get “No Maps” which talks about the lone traveler searching for “the place” but realizing “I’m already there”.
I was really excited to get my hands on this debut from NORTH SEA ECHOES and after just a few spins, I’m hooked. With each songs, I’m drawn into a different emotion from hopeful to sad and everything in between. Vocally, Alder keeps getting better and Matheos continues to take us listeners through his ever expanding musical journey. I can guarantee that “Really Good Terrible Things” will be in my top ten of 2024 and my hope is that this will not be a one-off project.