Nothing More
Nothing More put considerable effort into making their heavy rock sound larger than a simple sequence of riffs and choruses. The guitars are substantial and the hooks clear, but the bass, drums and electronic details often take their own routes through the songs. Jonny Hawkins gives that busy sound a strong vocal centre, moving between soaring melodies and a much rougher attack.
Ocean Floor leads effectively into This Is the Time (Ballast). The main song combines precise guitar playing and forceful drums with a vocal that rises above the arrangement. The transition gives the opening a sense of direction rather than leaving the introductory piece detached from the music that follows.
First Punch brings screaming and cleaner singing close together around a direct chorus. The Matthew Effect gives the heavier side more space, using vocal effects and a more aggressive instrumental passage without losing the melodic appeal. These songs show how well the band can make technical detail serve a clear hook.
There are convincing changes of mood elsewhere. I'll Be OK and Jenny make the emotional singing more prominent. Christ Copyright has a more straightforward low-end drive, while God Went North develops towards a much larger release of guitars and strained vocals. Its gradual build gives the intensity somewhere to go.
The electronic percussion of Surface Flames points towards another possible direction, although the album does not always benefit from the extra material around its main songs. The samples can become intrusive, and the extended ambient ending Pyre weakens the finish after the much stronger God Went North.
The later stretch is also less consistent. Some songs lack the memorable writing found earlier, and a few vocal or lyrical choices feel forced. The band's ambition occasionally produces more material than the record needs.
Even so, Nothing More has a strong identity within accessible heavy rock. The best songs combine an expressive voice, independent instrumental movement and immediate melodies. A tighter final stretch would make it more effective, but there is plenty of inventive, forceful music here.
