Emotions are curious things. They are complex; no two people respond the same way to a given situation. One thing is for sure, however. They are a deep insight into the dark enigmatic depths of the heart. Belgian band Old Ivy explores emotional ups and downs on their debut Extended Play record titled, “The Greater Mind.”
Old Ivy plays a style of hardcore that is an interesting mix: very uplifting and convictive melodies with introspective and melancholic lyrics. These guys are definitely one of those bands that are relentless when it comes to the emotional output of each guitar chord, drum beat, bass line, and lyric. However, they don’t sacrifice compositional skills for emotional focus. The track “Flawless” exemplifies the emotional rollercoaster that each song is. It begins with looming guitar melodies, swirling around each other slowly. Then, the harsh vocals come in from the distance. The mood is very dour at first; the narrator “just can’t get a hold of [him]self,” but the song morphs into an uplifting anthem, with each musician pouring his heart out with each note.
However, the band doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before. It is done very well, but I’m left wanting more. One track, “The Northern Wind”, leaves much to be desired. It’s just as emotionally impacting as the other two tracks, but other than an interesting tempo change in the middle of the song, there’s not much in terms of innovation on this song. Compositionally speaking, I was a little underwhelmed. There weren’t any extremely catchy melodies or drum breaks. It was sub-par for what I think this band can do.
I see great potential in this band: they are tight performers that don’t rely on the producer to make their performances sound tight, because they are adept enough to do so themselves. I just think that different types of playing would benefit this debut. It is a debut however, and it is a positive foreshadowing of the future of Old Ivy.
Score: 6.8/10
Fav Tracks: Flawless
Least Favorite: The Northern Wind
