by Joe Mis
– Sr. Columnist —
Canadian Rockers Van Halst may not be well know outside of their native Alberta, but their full length debut album entitled World of Make Believe may just change that. Van Halst’s music is mostly Hard Rock mixed with Metal, Gothic, Punk, and a touch of Death Metal, with Goth elements overriding all others.
Kami Van Halst began this project as a solo artist, but has now formed a permanent band around herself. In the band’s own words, they are a “…group producing socially conscious, lyrical tracks that focus on disenfranchised and marginalized populations.” The band pulls a lot of inspiration from Black, Gothic metal and its focus on isolation, loneliness, and injustice. All social commentary aside, Van Halst is a talented bunch. Kami Van Halst fronts the band with a powerful, throaty delivery that does it all – including a very strong growl that she uses to good effect, and does not rely upon as a crutch. She has enough bluesy grit to handle the heavy stuff, but can drop to a gentle flow on the lighter. Guitarist Scott Greene does a nice job with both rhythm riffs and lead hooks (he also handled production & engineering, and a significant amount of co-writing). The bottom end is provided by drummer Brett Seaton and bassist Steve Vincent, with able support by Scott Fox on programming and synthesizers.
“The End” opens the album with a rather drawn out sound effects passage before the music kicks in. There is no doubt that Van Halst’s music is a blend of old school hard rock with traces of punk thanks to the bouncy rhythm line and gang vocals. Kami drops a few impressive growls, breaking from her Joan Jett style delivery. More spoken words open “Save Me,” a gritty, growling anthem that allows Kami to run the vocal gamut from a sultry whisper to full on roar while the tone varies from near Black Metal to Punk. Soft acoustic guitars and synths open the balladesque “Ryan’s Song” before it picks up power and intensity, similar in style to Amy Lee’s Evanescence. This track features a truly stunning and lengthy guitar outro, a refreshing break from the now relatively common “solo-less” Modern Rock. “World of Make Believe” has a late 80s vibe mixed with hints of Halestorm – in other words it is a real hard rocker with killer vocals. “Questions” is a dark, morose social commentary piece driven by a twisted drum line and passionate singing.
A very simple acoustic intro and soft vocals start “Denying Eyes” – and Kami keeps to the top end of her range throughout, resulting in a song quite different from the balance of the album. Steve Vincent’s bass work is very prominent once the song gets rolling, allowing him to prove that he is not just a 4 string thumper. “Monster” is another tune with killer guitar hooks and a number of top notch guttural bellows. Kami truly gives a noteworthy performance on the slow rocker “Plastic Smile,” and the backing bluesy guitar riffs and solid bass/drums combine to make this the strongest track on the release. “Put Him Down” is pure Blues Rock – all about vocals, bass, and smokin’ hot guitar fills. The piano and voice only “Perfect Storm” wraps the release in true Gothic Rock style – a very powerful performance by all.
Van Halst’s World of Make Believe is a very solid debut. Fans of Gothic Rock/Metal will find a lot to enjoy. The album is nicely engineered to bring out the best in Kami’s voice, but the entire band is clear and present throughout. If there is an overriding flaw on World of Make Believe is is the “formula” that the band falls into a number of times in the first half of the album – some kind of sound effects, spoken words as the opening of a song, then a pause, then the music – and the general overuse of sound samples, distorted vocals, and recorded clips throughout. The tracks that break that mold are the stronger ones and mark the band as one to watch. Van Halst and Greene have the makings of a solid creative team, and obviously have enough talent to be able to fully realize their creative vision in the future.
Van Halst’s World of Make Believe is highly recommended for fans of female fronted Gothic Metal/Rock. There is enough variation form track to track to keep even the most jaded fans interested. Van Halst has a bright future.
Genre: Gothic Metal, Rock
Band:
Kami Van Halst (vocals)
Scott Greene (guitars, also production & engineering)
Brett Seaton (drums)
Steve Vincent (bass)
Scott Fox (programming / synths)
Backing Vocals: Scott Greene, Brendan Abbott, Ryan Van Halst, Brett Seaton, Lewis Santos
Track Listing:
1. The End
2. Save Me
3. Ryan’s Song
4. World of Make Believe
5. Questions
6. Denying Eyes
7. Monster
8. Plastic Smile
9. Put Him Down
10. Perfect Storm
Label: Independent
Website: http://vanhalstmusic.com/, https://www.facebook.com/vanhalstmusic/
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5 / 10
