April Art released their new album “P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.” last June only to later reinforce it with a Deluxe Edition that came out in September. April Art’s music goes beyond being “good music”. It is the kind of music that stands out and is hard to be forgotten. The German band’s unique sound is clear throughout “P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.”.
FemMetal Rating
8/10
April Art used every colour in their palette to ensure that their music is rich and keeps their fans guessing about what’s next.
Here are four things I loved about “P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.” (Deluxe Edition)
⚡ The energy
The music, the lyrics, the vocals, the cover art, and the production of “P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.” all scream of pure energy. Imagine your best friend talking you into doing something, except that your best friend is actually a band and instead of talking they’re singing and playing music. Best pep talk ever, right? The choruses are pure anthemic masterpieces on almost every song in the album, especially the titular song “P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.” as well as songs like “Change”, “Rising High”, “Sky Is The Limit” and “See The Light”. The music is so energetic that is almost impossible to stop yourself from banging your head on some guitar riffs, even if you’re listening to the album at work while having rough time finding why your JavaScript code is acting up. True story.
🎨 The Diversity
Don’t think, based on the first point, that the whole album is Lisa-Marie Watz (the vocalist of April Art) screaming at you to do things while her bandmates play music in the background. “P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.” is one rich album with songs that can soothe and drive your mood from one place to another. In fact, the transition in tempo and harshness of the music is one of the factors that add to the beauty of the album. “Warrior”, for example, breaks up the heavy and fast songs with a softer tune that eventually grows into an upbeat song. April Art used every colour in their palette to ensure that their music is rich and keeps their fans guessing about what’s next.
🎤 The Vocals
The music in “P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.” puts the vocalist to the test by itself. The diversity we discussed requires the vocalist to have a voice that can adapt to different singing styles, which Lisa-Marie did flawlessly. The final two songs on the album are a perfect example of this. On “Leave It Behind”, she is singing with the perfect soft voice to a soft tune, and then on “Headline” she is screaming and singing alongside heavy and fast music. These wonderful vocals are present all through the album, from the beginning to the end. It is safe to say April Art needed no cinematic gimmicks to add more motion to their music. Lisa-Marie’s skills served as a perfect introduction and kept perfectly taking the exact style needed to match the music alterations while keeping the lyrics meaning a factor. What a talent!
🎸 The guitar solos
“P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E” has elements from different musical styles. However, April Art made sure some classic elements of Metal are present in their music, one of them being the extended guitar solos. Not only there was an abundance of guitar solos, but they were also great ones. The solo on “Start Over” is an example of what I’m talking about. This feature helped the album stay energetic and musically rich.
🎵 Favourite Song
It was difficult to choose a favourite song from an album full of great ones. But I’d have to go with “Rising High.” This song has a lot of energy, and the music is upbeat and catchy, with some Hard Rock vibes and a modern alternative touch.
