Winter in Eden's 'Social Fake' - Album Review

I have discussed on this blog before that UK-based symphonic, progressive, and power metal often gets a bit of a raw deal and it is a real shame that bands from this country who play European-style melodic metal often struggle to find an audience. Whilst the aforementioned genres may not be the most popular genres in the UK, there are still plenty of fans of melodic metal here - which is why the likes of Nightwish, Sabaton, and Within Temptation have been able to headline arena-sized venues here in the past. Considering the influx of similar bands from Europe, it does seem strange that our home-grown talent is all too often ignored. In fairness, many of the best (in my opinion) UK-based bands playing this sort of music generally operate on a very small scale. Scotland's Turbyne recently split up, sadly, whilst bands like Damnation Angels and Dakesis are very much cottage industries. The band that I am going to talk about today is another cottage industry-type effort, and that is the English symphonic rock/metal act Winter in Eden. I am not sure when the band first got together, but I first become aware of them in 2010 when they played at the Cambridge Rock Festival. Their debut album Awakening was pretty new at this point, and it become a heavily-played album for me over the next few months. The few years around 2010 were probably the high point of my symphonic metal fandom, too, so hearing a UK-based band playing similar music to many of the big European names that I was really into at the time (and still am into) was a real treat. Since then, however, I have not really kept up with Winter in Eden in a big way. I did not listen to 2012's Echoes of Betrayal that much when it was released, but I did enjoy 2014's Court of Conscience a lot following another strong Cambridge Rock Festival showing that year. The band has largely been quiet since and, despite the occasional online update, I wondered if they had essentially called it a day. A new album was supposedly in the works, but nothing ever came - until earlier this year that is when the band's fourth album Social Fake was officially announced. I pre-ordered the album, which arrived last month after a slight delay on the physical product being ready - and I have been enjoying it a lot. It is similar in style to the band's other albums, which forged a relatively stripped-back and no-nonsense brand of symphonic metal, but for me it is easily their best-sounding release. Winter in Eden's previous albums often had a really echoey sound, which made it sound like they were recorded in a school gym, but Social Fake sounds much tighter and crunchier - with the guitar presence of recent addition Benji Lynch giving the band a much tougher sound than before.

Another great thing about Social Fake is how digestible it is. Symphonic metal albums can often breach the hour mark and require a lot of attention, but Social Fake is around 40 minutes long - which makes it an easy listen. The album starts off in fine fashion with its title track, which is a hard-hitting yet catchy metal anthem - with droning synths briefly setting the scene before the first of Lynch's many big riffs crashes in. Interestingly, the album's booklet states that the whole album was written by the band's Court of Conscience line-up - with former guitarist Samuel Cull credited. Lynch plays all of the guitars here, though, and perhaps this line-up change was one of the reasons for the long gap between albums. Lynch shines throughout, though, and his riffing drives the title track from the off - whilst Steve Johnson's synths and orchestrations add depth. Winter in Eden have a grand sound, but it is never really that over-the-top. Steve's orchestrations are tasteful, but never overblown - and the focus is generally always on the vocal melodies of frontwoman Vicky Johnson. Vicky's voice is very easy on the ear, and she knows how to craft a pop hook - and the chorus of Social Fake will certainly be stuck in the brain after only a couple of listens. A short Lynch guitar solo pulls everything together, and the hard-hitting single leaves a strong impression. Never Let Go is a bit grander in sound, and sees the band pushing the symphonic side of their sound - but there are still plenty of pop hooks to be found. The chorus soars with some of the album's best vocal melodies, whilst the song's intro is a wash of dancing strings and ringing power chords. There is still plenty of crunch throughout thanks to some tough rhythm guitar playing, but this is a song which generally sees the keyboards shine. They dominate the intro, as well as the chorus which uses a similar musical pattern, and the song's main instrumental sections feature keyboard leads and synth stabs. It is another relatively straight-forward song, but the grandness certainly helps it to stand out. Out of Touch gets back to a heavier sound, more akin to the album's title track. Lynch's guitar dominates throughout, despite the ringing piano of the intro, and the song is one that plays around with its arrangement somewhat. Winter in Eden can rarely be described as progressive metal, as there is something refreshingly stripped-back about their sound, but Out of Touch feels like it pushes things a little. Drummer Steve Hauxwell mixes things up, and there are a few breakdown/pre-chorus sections that feature some busy around-the-kit drumming, and there are a few moments of shred from Lynch. There is still plenty of time for lots of vocal melodies, though, and the song still hits the spot from a hooks perspective. The chorus is crunchy and hits hard - and a slow piano-led reprise of it towards the end of the piece emphasises the strength of the song's melodies. This reprise follows a barnstorming riff that could have come from on of the first two Iron Maiden albums such is its NWOBHM rawness - and the heaviness contrasts nicely with the piano melodies that follow.

The next three songs form part of the Critical Mass song cycle, which started on Court of Conscience with Burdened. Dear Diary is a short spoken word piece, that features Oliver Johnson and Johanne James (Threshold; Kyrbgrinder) reading a diary entry, before The Change opens up slowly with some delicate piano melodies. The song is generally very typical of the album's sound, however, although it does return to the more orchestral sounds of Never Let Go - with the heaviness reined in somewhat. Steve's keyboard work dominates, but there is still plenty of crunch thanks to Lynch's rhythm playing and the hard-hitting drumming style of Hauxwell. Despite the smooth, soaring nature of the song, Hauxwell still includes a few bursts of fast-paced double bass drumming which work well - and helps to inject some heaviness into what otherwise is a more emotional piece. The piano melodies of the song's opening section form the main melodic hook throughout, but they are often backed by a heavier rhythm to really drive the song - and they are even somewhat reprised later on by Lynch during a short guitar solo. Rage, the third part of the Critical Mass cycle, opens in a heavier manner, with some driving double bass drumming, and it features the vocal talents of Alex Cooper (Devilfire) who duets throughout with Vicky. Cooper's voice is not all that different to Vicky's, with both singers having a smooth delivery and a similar tone. This means that when the two sing in harmony it sounds really effective. There is a lot of harmony singing throughout the song, with the chorus really benefitting from the talents of both singers. Despite the overall heaviness of the song, though, there is still plenty of melody. Similar piano lines to the previous song are included, although the guitars and drums really drive this one - with Lynch afforded a lengthy guitar solo in which he indulges in plenty of shredded leads. Leaving the Critical Mass cycle behind, Down returns to the album's typical song-based approach - and it is easily the heaviest track on the album up to this point. The whole song is based around a great guitar riff from Lynch, and it is not really until the chorus that any typical symphonic metal tropes rear their heads. There are great orchestrations and smooth melodies during the choruses, but the verses are much more overtly metal - with stop-start rhythms and some drum-led grooves. The verses see Vicky singing in a slightly different style to usual, but it works well in my opinion and helps the song to stand out. There is also a relatively long instrumental section towards the end of the song, which features some industrial synths and some more great guitar playing - with Lynch and Steve working really well together to come up with a sonic tapestry to match the song's overall heaviness.

Blind Acceptance returns to the band's typical sound, however, and shakes off a lot of the overt heaviness of Down. Lynch leads the verses with a snaking guitar lead, but the choruses then explode with a glut of strings, soaring orchestrations, and a very expressive vocal from Vicky. In many ways, Blind Acceptance is very much the type of song that Winter in Eden have been writing since the beginning. I think that there are stronger songs here, but the overall sound is very typical of what the band have been doing for years. This album generally is very hook-focused, though, whereas Blind Acceptance feels more as if atmosphere is being prioritised over melody. This is not uncommon for symphonic metal, and the song is one that really sweeps the listener along - even if it is not as hooky as some of the other tracks here. Smiling Assassin goes for something of a more downbeat vibe - although some of the heaviness of Down returns. It is not an out-and-out heavy song, but the verses in particular are slow and crunchy - with the rhythmic guitar playing of Lynch and the drums mixing well to create something weighty. Despite this, though, the song actually has something of a ballad-esque vibe at times. The heaviness is done in a low key way to form a backdrop to Vicky's vocals, and additional melodies are provided; particularly during the choruses; by Nick Lawrance's violin. The violin adds a lot to the song, and its aching melodies help to enhance its overall ballad-esque feel. It is not a true ballad, though, as the mix of heaviness and the slower pace creates a bit of a strange sound - but it is a sound that works well for me. There is a great instrumental mid-section too, which sees some classical-sounding piano mixing well with the Lawrance's violin to create an epic sound. The album comes to a close with Exclusive Invitation, a very melodic track that returns to the sound that opened the album with tracks like Never Let Go. It is a song that reins in the heaviness somewhat, and instead focuses on a smoothness created by Vicky's vocals and some excellent keyboard playing from Steve. The guitars are less busy this time around, although Lynch still adds plenty of depth to the song with his rhythms. As such, the song is very much a typical symphonic metal-sounding piece. It is certainly one of the grandest songs here, and the addition of a children's choir helps the song to really soar. Guitars are generally mixed into the background when it comes to symphonic metal, too, and that is the case here. It is very much a vocal and string-focused piece, which is fitting given how melodic and hooky the song is. The album ends on a high as a result, and it is another track that showcases the band at their best. The great thing about this album, though, is that every song showcases Winter in Eden at their best. There are some songs here that sound like refined versions of their previous efforts, whereas other songs showcase some new sounds - which is always welcome. Social Fake is certainly the Winter in Eden album that I have enjoyed the most up to this point, and I can see myself listening to it a lot more going forward.

The album was released on 25th March 2022 via Firestreak Media. Below is the band's promotional video for Social Fake.