North Carolinian band Black Bouquet releases their first full feature album, a long awaited release and worth the wait it is…fusing post punk, gothic rock, emo and huge 80s guitar riffs is the secret recipe of Black Bouquet’s sonic identity…a unique voice and a stunning audio show that leverages power beats, excellent melodies and just raw emotional energy…”Pray To The Knife” is an album not to be missed at all costs.
The band described the story of the album as…
‘A story of survival after grief told through the eyes and in the words of troubled lovers. The themes of finding self worth amidst the wreckage of personal traumas, tragedies, and loss.’
Black Bouquet released their first single “Run and Hide” off the album along with a music video…a powerful visual and auditory experience infused with excellent 80s rock vibes, with an excellent vocal performance and catchy melodies by the guitars and bass…and a fast rocking drum beat that really brings the energy out of the listener.
On the visual side, “Run and Hide” is engaging and very artsy…mostly in black and white with a bit of a noir visual twist…while some shots use very vibrant colors…the contrast is hypnotic.
…now that “Run and Hide” sets the expectations of what to expect from the album…spoiler alert, the album really raises the bar even more with a diverse collection of emotions, energies and many hooking melodies…and great musical composition, really.
The album starts with a bang with its first song “My Love”, with super emotional acoustic guitar and orchestral strings sections mixed with a huge gothic rock/punk chorus…and a very melodic one at that…super powerful…it’s one amazing kick off to the album!
…Black Bouquet manages to keep things fresh, with each song comes a musical twist…for example, we started the album with a dark gothic rock punk song, the second song is an 80s rock experience with some iconic synth melodies…and an upbeat drum section…
…this is exactly the kind of musical diversity that we can’t find easily anywhere else…this is excellent.
“Pray to the Knife” keeps things interesting all the way through, taking us from the upbeat and fast riffs of the 80s infused rocking sounds of “Serpents” to the punk/pop sounds of “Footsteps”…to the slow and dark minimal sounds of “A Window With No Curtains”…this one here has some avant garde vibes to it, exploring some uncharted musical territories…brilliant.
The album ends on the title track, “Pray to the Knife”…an emotional journey, going through the whole emotional spectrum…from the lowest lows, to the highest highs, displaying excellent levels of melodic prowess.
“Pray to the Knife” is an exceptional album filled with powerful emotions and excellent music…this is a highly recommended experience, that’s for sure.
Cheers!
