THE TROPHY - review added 9th April 2009
Album Review: The Gift Of Life (2009)
For fans of: hard rock... and Michael Bormann
Michael Bormann, singer on the 'The Trophy' project is as reliable as the wind or the rain, the stars or... pikey jobless wasters turning up to any meeting of international leaders to have a moan about something that doesn't concern them. Anyway...
His voice is as recognizable as, well, anything that's impossibly recognizable. A zebra maybe? He has a wonderfully expression-filled vocal style with a soulful edge you could slice passion fruit on. There's always a subsurface hint of artificiality to his singing, as if he records 5% of his sound through Stephen Hawking's vocalizing box, but I suspect it's more to do with the way he gets produced than anything else.
Completing the line-up on The Trophy is Marco Grasshof (keyboards) and Todd Wolf (guitars, bass and programming) who is also the originator of the project. Todd, from power metal band Human Fortress, originally started sketching down ideas for the songs in 2006. With Michael and Marco's help, the resulting album is a mixture of grinding rock, melodious meanderings and compelling synthesised interludes.
The title track to The Gift Of Life' is an interesting proposition. In places it's very chilled, almost stripped back with little more than Michael Bormann's voice to carry the song along. At the chorus it explodes into something with a bucket load of power and melody. The chorus is very catchy and a fantastic start to proceedings. 'When The Nightmares Wake Me Up' has a lovely verse structure, and the bridge raises the game a little higher, but it never really goes anywhere after that. It's a shame because the opening minute or so has great potential.
'The Shades Of Grey' is a gentle, if decibel-infused, ballad with a laid back aura. The guitars guide the track with steadfast yet fluid precision. The chorus is so relaxed it'll probably fall backwards off its chair. Cool song. The following track, 'Gloomy Days', has a strong beat... but is anything but relaxed. I wouldn't go as far as to describe it as urgent, but it's certainly heading in that direction. Considering the drums are, to all intents and purposes, programmed they don't sound half bad on this track.
'Liar' is one of the finer songs on the album. It distances itself enough from the others - which often sound similar - to boast a reasonably unique character. The chorus will tattoo your mind, and it'll have you singing along in no time at all. 'The Way' has a good chorus too, although it dies away just as it reaches the crescendo. Final song 'On These Wings' has a heavy bass beat to the chorus and some interesting percussive effects throughout. The end result is pleasing rather than pant moistening but, you know, sometimes dry pants are a positive thing.
The Gift Of Life is a well put together release with plenty to indulge yourself. Some of the album is a little formulaic, and many of the songs sound similar, but it has a wonderful production that should appeal to fans of Michael Bormann and heavier melodic rock alike. There are no real hit-the-bell moments, but equally there's nothing terrible. Solid and dependable, The Trophy have released a Scotty dog of an album.
Check out... 'Justice'. Possibly the best track on the album.
Track List:
01. The Gift Of Life
02. When The Nightmares Wake Me Up
03. Get The Cup
04. Justice
05. Rescue Me
06. Can't Get Out Of My Head
07. The Shades Of Grey
08. Gloomy Days
09. Liar
10. The Way
11. On These Wings
Label: Frontiers Records
Artist's websites: MySpace
