Album Review – Abel – ‘Make It Right’ – 18.09.2012 – Self-Released

Review by Tyler Montana

In 1819, John Keats wrote the now famous phrase ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty’ in his Ode on a Grecian Urn. Now your analysis of that phrase would invariably depend primarily on your definition of truth, which isn’t necessarily synonymous with honesty.

For example, being honest can sometimes be hurtful and cause pain. How can that be seen as beautiful? It’s a paradox, locked by semantics, that Abel explore on their new album Make It Right. Frank and unwavering in their honesty, Abel have attempted to find beauty in their despair, albeit often doing nothing more but wallowing in it.

No sooner is ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ off and running, than you realise that lead singer Kevin Kneifel is the key here. His vocals never falter, brimming throughout the course of the ten tracks with conviction and poise. It’s an asset that Abel desperately need, as when you press beyond the frequent guitar theatrics and snare/tom rolls (hello, 30STM and Muse) and down to the nitty-gritty, most songs here are all too formulaic, at once instantly familiar and, unfortunately, forgettable. ‘An Ultimatum’ is about a generic angry boyfriend that’s had enough with the other half’s whining and so reverts to, erm…whining. It’s been done to death, as have ‘Come Home’s rock-ballad clichés. Thanks Nickelback.

There is some good amongst the garb though: ‘Fine Lines’, whilst placing build-ups and soaring vocal parts exactly where you would expect them, has swagger enough to pull it through, whilst ‘Your Heart, Your Soul’ moves past Abel’s well-worn sound to incorporate elements of classic and desert rock, providing perhaps the album’s brightest moment.

Where Abel could push their boundaries (and they could, as some of the finer moments here hint at), they instead choose to coast, their inventiveness being stunted, more-than-likely, by their adherence to honesty. A decent rock album, but darkened by the knowledge that it could have been more…and that’s the truth.

Review by Tyler Montana

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