ALBUM REVIEW: Wishing Well - Sin and shame

Finnish Helsinki-based metal heads, Wishing Well releases their fourth album, titled “sin and Shame”

The 11 track album is packed full of traditional and power metal bangers, surely to peak the interests of those who are fans are the likes of Fury, Nightwish, Screamer and Seven Sisters.

All written in the iconic story-telling and power ballad format, with interweaving high-end riffs, solos, thundering bass and triplet picking rhythm sections, supported by traditional playful synth and impressive operatic vocals.

These seasoned veterans, surely bring a new flavour to the market of metal, Recorded and produced in various studios, still maintains a flawless and continuous listen.

First Track, “In the Line of Fire” opens with a screech of feedback and immediate thunder of bass and guitar followed by the smashes of cymbals. The fast paced tempo gets your blood pumping in an instant, a definite battle song. Meanwhile, “Soul Rider '' takes a step back into much melodic waters, with flowing riffs and soulful synth support, the overall rhythm plods on in a blues style, with climbing distortion and soulful guitar solos it’s the ideal anthem for a biker.

“Space Invaders” takes on a darker, invasive guitar tone with high alienated synth and catchy vocals. I feel this is the cheesiest of all the tracks, an easy listen. Quite cinematic with different soundscapes and story-telling.

Leading title track, “Sin and Shame” takes a biblical approach, with very few vocal verses of which instrumentals feel at home taking the lead with different textures and layers. I love in the bridge section the melodies fall before snapping back to the incredible tapping and solo section that feels larger than the cause.

To finish the album, with a whopping seven minutes and twenty-two seconds, the slowest of the tracks gently drifts in with warm synth bells but is soon rejoined by the ionic lead guitar solo in “Flying Finn” opting to present their best technical skills through performance without the aid of any vocals.

All in all, this album is a traditional metal-heads dream. It will entice the oldest and the youngest of fans. It certainly intrigued me with detailed writing and impressive technical skills. I must also comment, finally, on the album artwork, such a simple design yet reflecting the contents of the album, quite an original idea in this genre.