Apollo Me Album Review

Rival State’s album Apollo Me is a solid effort throughout. At times their powerful sound is without compromise. But this is contrasted nicely by poignant moments of deep reflection and subtle musical influences.

Forming at a Taranaki high school in 2002 and then disbanding five years later to pursue different musical paths, the five-piece band reformed again in 2011 to work on their debut release.

Apollo Me is a mixture between old and new styles. At times there’s a Panic At The Disco, Black Veil Brides and Fall Out Boy influence going on that will prove radio friendly. Underlying this are similarities to some older hit bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, The Feelers and even Skid Row. Without a doubt Apollo Me is going to strike the right chord with a large audience.

However, there are moments when the album is overly produced. In some ways it’s too perfect and the raw talent these five guys obviously have shouldn’t need that much polish. In places it’s so worked that the detail and depth of the music is lost. Unfortunately too much compression, splicing to create tension and some instances of miscued auto-tune detract from the overall attributes of the compositions.

Despite the production problems, Luke Van Hoof’s vocals stand out for all the right reasons. There’s a youngish tonal quality to his voice that pleasantly complements his lyrical style. Obviously a lot of time and effort has been put into the song structures to make his vocals resonate with a delightful presence.

Rival State has definitely found the right formula with Apollo Me.