Corvus – ‘Immortals’

(Pride & Joy)

The second album from Corvus has been a long time coming and it’s been worth the wait because ‘Immortals’ is already an early contender for album of the year. This is AOR at its finest, extremely catchy and full of sing along choruses. It’s a really uplifting smile inducing collection of songs, feel good to the extreme with emotive and relatable lyrics.

As a songwriter John Clews is fast becoming one of my favourites, his ear for melody and musical hooks is on point – he draws me into his music with absolute ease. His lyrics are emotive and from the heart and that makes it so much easier to connect with when the words feel honest and lived. Ciaran James proves to be the perfect voice for his words, not only does he deliver the vocal melodies with such smoothness and passion he gives them meaning with his delivery. Clews and James are a great musical pairing and it shows time and time again.

Clews’s guitar work is impeccable, the intricate licks and hooks he creates are simply sublime. He can show of his fretboard skills and keep it catchy and melodic at the same time – you’d be surprised how few guitarists can manage both!

‘What About Love’ is AOR Perfection – I absolutely adore this song. It is melancholic but it still has a bright and breezy feel to it. While I wouldn’t really compare Corvus to FM, as I feel Corvus have quite a unique sound, I think everyone will agree this song specifically would set the FM fanbase on fire, this chorus live to that crowd would lift the roof off! Urgent rocker ‘Battle Cry’ is definitely James’s vocal masterpiece and highlights his vocal power.

With ‘Immortals’ Corvus have given us songs that leave an indelible imprint and truly stir your emotions. This is exactly how AOR should be in 2024, modern, fresh and unique. There are no cookie cutter formulaic soulless songs here just heartfelt uplifting Melodic Rock. Its crystal clear these songs come from the soul of the songwriter and are immaculately delivered with passionate performances from every single member of the band. The entire album is full of emotion, positivity, passion, relatability that it’s impossible to not connect with. ‘Immortals’ will certainly become a personal classic with me, I really hope others become as enraptured as me as I’m totally enthralled by it.

10/10

Essential Track - 'What About Love'

Review by Woody