Of Virtue – Sinner – EP Review

8th August 2022 0 By George Simpson

Every now and then you hear something that really makes you sit up, and wonder what was it you just heard. This is one of those releases. American four piece Of Virtue‘s new four track EP Sinner is certainly a curious beast. Trying to pin it down to one style or genre is impossible, such is the music smorgasbord on offer here.

The mixture of pop, prog and metalcore on paper sounds like an accident waiting to happen. But in reality, it works very well. This EP is a short sharp blast of what they’re all about, with the four tracks totalling about 15 minutes altogether. None of the songs outstay their welcome, say what they have to, and go.

Worryingly, recent single Sinner sounds like any number of modern pop songs as it starts, before finally kicking in with it’s anthemic chorus. It’s hard to listen to this EP without thinking of Linkin Park, though thankfully they stay well clear of rap throughout. For me, Sinner is the weakest song here, with the rest of three tracks packing a lot more punch.

Their metalcore influence comes to the fore on the storming Hypocrite. Using more traditional throaty metal vocals alongside the pop element creates a memorable dynamic. Their prog leanings aren’t immediately obvious, especially when you consider that the longest track here is on three and a half minutes. There are hints of it, rather than going all out into the realm of long solo’s and epic tales of yore.

Next up, Coldblooded features a metallic soundtrack with pop-esque vocals over the top. It’s ok, but strays too far towards pop for my liking. The EP closes on it’s most proggy track, Echoes. No relation to the Pink Floyd epic though. The more laid back piano led verses is one of those hints i mentioned earlier, before the chorus picks up the pace and noise levels. For me this is the strongest track here, and the one i’ve gone back to most for repeat listens.

Overall, this isn’t bad at all. Over the course of four tracks you get a varied mix of styles and genres, and leaves you wondering which they are most suited to. I’d love to hear more prog introduced, and maybe a longer track or two, for example. They definitely have it in them to do this. I look forward to finding out which style will prevail when the next album comes out, hopefully soon.

Score: 7/10

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