Written thoughts: Napoleon’s „Ignite“
Written thoughts: Napoleon’s „Ignite“
Today, UKs melodiposipassiongroove masters Napoleon released the first single „Ignite“ of their upcoming album „epiphany“. As a huge fan of their first album Newborn Mind, of course I was way too stoked when I discovered today, that their new single is out. Some of you may remember the „soon TM“ jokes and memes whilst we were all waiting for their first album. Turns out: We don’t need to wait this long again for the second record, as „epiphany“ will be out on November 2nd this year!
But enough of plain facts, I’ve had a few listens to „Ignite“ now and would like to share my thoughts with you.
According to their Facebook post where they announced that Doza is going to leave Napoleon, they said that the new album is the best music they have ever written. A statement like this is always risky as it sets the bar of expectation very high.
Let’s put it like that: I am not disappointed. But I am not impressed either.
The song starts off with its main riff, adding vocals and a lead melody just a few seconds in. However, this main riff would have served as a „soft intro“ for the song if they would have arranged it like the songs on their first album. …spoiler alert: it’s different! This main riff actually is a main riff. It is very groovy and bouncy - something I like very much. I found myself bopping my head and slowly getting into it. But it doesn’t really sound like a „firework“ like I expected it after their first album. The melodies of the lead guitar are not that catchy either. It did not really suck me in.
The short introduction of the rhythm guitar into the verses is not that spectacular either - and the verses are more a solid uptempo arrangement rather than being outstanding and special...
All in all, it feels as if Sam does play the guitar with the handbrake applied - trying to find a balance between his fiery, gaudy riffs and plain simple melodies. But it gets lost somewhere between it, losing its authenticity. Also, Wes’ vocal performance is a bit different from what I expected it to be. Sure: since he took over vocal duties in Napoleon he proved to have a nice high vocal range for both singing and shouting. However, in Ignite I find it quite exhausting to listen to the shouting passages as he kind of overuses the very high pitched shouts. For my personal taste, it would have been better to add a little more „depth“ and „melody“ to the shouts by using different pitches. He's punching the ear constantly in the same spot rather than massaging the entire spectrum, if that makes sense... His clean vocals on the other hand are more brilliant than before. His singing voice really suits the style of the band. That good, that I can’t imagine another voice over those melodiposipassiongroove arrangements.
Productionwise, this song’s sound has much more body and warmth than the sound of Newborn Mind. It sounds more mature, better controlled and less sterile. Sure, there’s still this element of heavily gated guitars causing them to sound very digital - but given the fact that the drums really rock in a natural way and the bass radiates with more warmth around it, it really suits the balance. The only thing I would’ve changed is the volume of guitars. I think they could have all been a little louder - but this is just my personal opinion.
So what do I think of this song putting it in a nutshell?
I don’t really know yet actually. I am not disappointed. But I am not impressed either. I expected something faster and more complex and energetic. Nonetheless, this is „only“ a first single and it is solid! I am very much looking forward to „epiphany“! …and desperately waiting for the pre-order button to appear somewhere…
…and although I am not as impressed as expected, I highly recommend that you check „Ignite“ out!
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