The debut EP, ‘Maelstrom of Thought’, from prog metallers Fight The Tornado is here!

Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Jonny Young and lead vocalist Lindzi North, both former members of the symphonic metal band, Curse of Dawn, Fight the Tornado was created with the aim of putting a sound to certain trains of thought that often are hard to explain. The result ends in an array of different subgenres combined with metal and hard rock influences used to convey those emotions, which are heavily experienced in their debut EP. The six-track EP goes on a journey of the mind, exploring hope, betrayal, loneliness and acceptance.

‘Mercurial Inventions’ opens the EP, a track which begins with an atmospheric blend of synths and strings before hitting in with heavy seven-string guitars. The mixture of Lindzi’s clean and Jonny’s harsh vocals are used to convey the mixed feelings that someone experiences once they realised they have been betrayed, with the more melodic chorus and bridge expressing more melancholic aspects.

‘Comfort Zone’ follows on, utilising dance-oriented elements mixed with groovier metal tones to match the beat. While Jonny’s vocals in the verses shout to the hopelessness of feeling alone and being without purpose, the uplifting chorus and breakdown show the inclusion of hope if you would just reach out of your comfort zone.

The EP takes a dark turn as ‘Sensory Deprivation’ fades into eerie and dissonant noises. Heavy, fast-paced guitars blast out of the gates to introduce the heaviest track on the album. The swift and chaotic vocals in the bass-driven verse capture the instability that comes with the darkest moments of the mind. The chorus is as heavy as the opening and the song barely lets up until Lindzi’s vocals in the bridge, though the song bites back again with more heavy riffs and guitar solos to fade into the title track.

‘Maelstrom of Thought’, the EP’s title track, incorporates a huge amount of influences, such is the nature of the title. Beginning with a hopeful blend of strings and piano chords, the song soon takes a heavy turn into catchy guitar riffs alongside similar dance-esque synths seen in Comfort Zone. Even though the song contains no vocals, the guitars drive the verse and despite incorporating the heavy seven-string sound, the orchestrals manage to maintain the hopeful elements. This continues into the guitar solo and the pace of the song changes several times as it transitions to a pan flute solo accompanied by clean guitars and even alternating reggae guitars and black metal blast-beating on the drums.

The direction of the EP twists as ‘Atlas’ follows, showing some of the band’s more progressive roots with twisting time changes and hard rock influences. Much calmer than many of the previous tracks, Atlas brings soft vocals over angelic piano verses and an uplifting chorus that’s guaranteed to get stuck in your head. The journey of someone trying to reach out to their friend takes a dive into the centre of the eight-minute piece as the instrumentation grows heavier and brings in guitar and keyboard solos, featuring Jonny’s guitarwork and guest appearances from Holly Royle and Matthew Simon Fletcher (both of Disconnected Souls and Sensory Enigma). The journey of the song concludes with a dramatic display of uplifting vocals from Jonny and Lindzi combined.

‘The Stone’ is an unusual end to the EP as it is what most would consider to be the ballad of the album. An ethereal showing of clean guitars and raw vocals that leads into one last parade of heavy riffs marks the final track as a beautiful way to end the album.

Track Listing:

1. Mercurial Inventions
2. Comfort Zone
3. Sensory Deprivation
4. Maelstrom of Thought
5. Atlas
6. The Stone

Stream and download the EP on all major platforms.

Follow Fight The Tornado:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fightthetornado/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fightthetornado/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FightTornado
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2zWA6hCqk5vJoIFgYHPCXg
Bandcamp: https://fightthetornado.bandcamp.com/

Photo credit: Blue Moon Photography