REVIEW: Half Sight – Rhetoric (Album)

Half Sight are a 5 piece Melodic Hardcore band based in Leeds, after sharing the stage with the likes of While She Sleeps, Landscapes, Dead Hearts and many others they are ready to release their debut album Rhetoric. Forming back in 2009 and originally known as Atlas, they have re-branded and pieced together this energetic, aggressive and melodic first album. Full of obvious inspiration from bands such as Stick To Your Guns and While She Sleeps, with melodic guitar riffs accompanied by harsh vocals as well as some intricate drums and more subdued sections, they have produced a creative record covering a lot of ground within modern Melodic Hardcore.

The opening track Lantern is more of an introduction to the record, starting off with some calm, gentle guitars and slow drums before building up and flowing nicely into the next song titled Concrete Heart. The track kicks in with what some might call your standard chord progression, but accompanied by a subtle lead guitar which takes control of the atmosphere and a strong vocal line from frontman Jordan Widdowson. The song continues to display clever lead guitar parts that will stay in your head, with some big gang chants and well-written drums it makes for a great track. Attention to detail is very important in this genre of music, it can be easy to just throw each section together and make it sound alright, but in some cases it’s the smaller things that make a big difference, additional parts that some listeners won’t even notice. As cliche as it sounds you have to be different to stand out in this industry, especially within this genre and Half Sight have done a good job of utilising their instruments to bring diversity to their music.

My normal method of reviewing is to listen to the full record several times then go through each song separately and write about it, however with Rhetoric I constantly forgot to stop at the end of each song and ended up just listening to the full album over and over again. This is a clear sign that it’s been put together very well, each track flows into the next without hesitation and this doesn’t mean every song sounds the same, it’s an example of clever composition. Third track The Brightest Son starts off with more aggression and attitude, the drums mainly being the source of energy. They continue to use the same guitar methods, and the lead sections in this song really are a highlight of the album for me. They completely control the feel of the track, which I guess is what they’re supposed to do but it really stands out here. I’m also very impressed with the range of the frontman, the vocals through the chorus really take it up a notch and you can hear he has passion for what he’s talking about.

The next stand out track for me is The Greater Good, they released this single with a music video on September 5^th and it’s definitely one of my favourite songs from the record. I can see why they released this as the single, with lyrics like “Forced into what you think you should believe” and “we’ve lost grip on what humanity should be” this song gives a good insight to what the album is about. It’s full of energy, emotion and meaning which a lot of bands lack nowadays, and writing about subjects that are real, relatable and important can make a big difference when it comes to how your music is received. Track number 7 titled Regime is another great song and it seems as though it’s on the calmer end of the spectrum, it still has harsh vocals and some fast-paced drums but there are sections that you will just close your eyes through and get lost in the gentle guitar melodies. “I chose to live, now that I’m living I will love” repeated towards the back end of the song just again shows how much depth they’ve gone into when writing the album.

Now approaching the end of the record, song number 8 Picket Lines was also released as a single just over a year ago and received a great response. Again it’s made up of the same ingredients, energetic drums, melodic and catchy guitars along with strong vocals. Last but not least Rhetoric finishes off with Silent Nation, as for what the song is about the title says it all. From what I’ve picked up on the album seems to be about current world issues and how society has dealt with them, how people depend on other people too much and take things for granted, how people have become slaves without realising, the list goes on. All of which are current, relatable, and real, there are many bands and artists out there today bringing up the same issues trying to project the voice of the people who aren’t heard in today’s world. I’m sure Half Sight will do very well from this album and as for live shows there are plenty of sections that will get you off your feet, like I’ve mentioned several times throughout this review it’s packed with energy so keep your eyes open for shows near you. I recommend that everyone should give this album a listen when it’s released on 26^th September 2016.