Album Review: Rioghan - Different Kinds Of Losses

December is a tough time to release an album. If you're like me, you've already put together a draft of your year-end list, so you might have started to check out on new music until the next year's albums begin to roll in. If you're like me, you might have also ordered your CDs/vinyl (if you're a fan of physical media) for Christmas season already, so anything released now is already too late. I'm afraid not many people are paying attention, so it makes me wonder if albums released this late are being put out because someone doesn't have faith in them to cut through the busier times of the release schedule. It's not a thought without merit, I will give it that.

Rioghan is a progressive metal band that formed around a poet, which is something I find rather interesting. Lyrics are often an afterthought in the music I find myself covering, so hearing that a project is centered around a writer instead of a group of musicians is the sort of thing that catches my interest. I do wonder, at times, why rock music has so few people involved who can write interesting words for themselves to sing.

With a soft piano setting a somber mood, followed later by a down-tuned groove, there is a strong sense of Katatonia to the music. That is rather apt, as Jonas Renske shows up to play keys on one track. Rioghan is playing with the same palate of sounds, which remains an effective mood-setter. The difference in the tenor of her voice from Renske's is a wonderful illustration of the way in which a singer changes the way we can hear a song. There is something in Renske's voice that oozes sadness few others can match. Despite the similarities in the music, Rioghan gives this record a different feeling simply by being herself.

The dynamics between the acoustic guitars and strings, with the sections of crushing djent, make "Breath" an appealing number. The jolt of the guitars when they come in is more effective because of the space that was left for them, and Rioghan's melody sounds softer and sweeter against the heavier tones. It isn't a ballad, but it serves that purpose on the record, tricking us into hearing the heavier songs as being even more than they are.

As the album unfolds, there are a few sonic experiments. A horn serves as the outro to "Time", some loops are used here and there, but the big one is the beginning to "Innocence". There is an effect used that sounds like a helicopter blade spinning, and the glitching sound of it is unbearably annoying. I get they were going for something a bit more rhythmic and artificial, but this particular sound reminds me far too much of the throbbing that comes with a migraine. That right there is why I never say doing something different is laudable on its own account. Experiments should only be praised when they work, and this one didn't work at all for me.

The majority of the record does work, though. It's an interesting listen, but I'm back to wondering whether something that is a bit unusual like this is served well by coming out so late in the year. If it was going to be a contender for my year-end list, I don't know that I would have enough time with it to feel comfortable judging it in the full context of the year. That's an 'if', of course. This album won't have to worry about that, but it does serve as something worth checking out during what it otherwise an extremely slow time of year. If you've alredy caught up on everything at the top of your list from this year, and you aren't sure what to pull out of the archives to fill time, maybe give Rioghan a chance.