Chapter Nineteen – A Story Well Told EP

By RingMaster Review on April 28, 2021 • ( 0 )

With a tale that musicians and certainly music lovers come across with too much regularity, A Story Well Told is the debut EP from UK post hardcore outfit Chapter Nineteen. Its concept is of a band which despite inescapable potential, individuality and passion cannot stir the masses into paying attention and so comes to an end. The creators of this release similarly have all three of those attributes but such the rousing roar and striking adventure of their record’s sound it is not easy to expect Chapter Nineteen being lost to our ears anytime soon.

West Midlands based Chapter Nineteen is a duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist/bassist and songwriter Dave Musson and drummer Chris Piper. The seeds of the band were un knowingly sown when the latter was working as producer with Musson on tracks for his band at the time, Wave. Unfortunately, that band disbanded soon after which meant Musson songs were homeless but thankfully for us all he continued his link up with ex-Kyoto Drive drummer Piper and Chapter Nineteen stepped forward. A trio of ear grabbing singles from the autumn of 2019 across 2020 set the tone of intrigue and adventure now in full anthemic uproar within the striking A Story Well Told.

The EP quickly reveals the band’s post hardcore bred sound a full and dramatic proposal with a rich web of flavours to its voracity. An introductory sequence sparks opener Why even try into life, the track immediately attacking attention with senses stalking riffs and enraged vocal angst. It is a rapacious assault rife with sonic flames but just as immediately is thick contagion as it sets the scene for the narrative ahead.

When no-one believes in you instantly stabs at the listener with riffs and beats, both men hungrily direct as the track uncaged its own irritable confrontation. Again sonic and melodic causticity coat catchiness which rips through body and vocal chords, the song twisting and turning with invention and provocation, those traits just as potent within successor How is there hope. As its companions, the song which features Josh Redrup from Palm Reader challenges and incites in equal measure, demanding and commanding attention whilst rewarding with ravening enterprise.

The instantly virulent When nobody cares has an indefinable familiarity to it but one which soaked in Chapter Nineteen imagination stamps individual authority over ears and the passions while But what if this is drives at the senses full throttle as punk and metal essences soak its esuriently compelling body. It is another which abuses and seduces with matching prowess, leaving ears gripped and appetite greedy.

Through the hellacious holler of The best chance we’ll get and the atmospherically emotive devouring of This wasn’t part of the plan, the EP leaves a rich and lingering imprint. Maybe more than the rest, both songs reveal the rich invention and variation at the heart of the bands of sound and the imagination which is as potent as the physical voracity fuelling every moment.

Ending as it started with narrative provided by producer Chris Nee, A Story Well Told was simply twenty plus minutes of drama and pleasure. There is an intimacy to it which you can only assume comes from personal experience but equally an observation we have all had of bands and artists disappearing in an incredulous cloud of how could they have not ignited the world.

If a sign of things to come, Chapter Nineteen will not become one of those lost souls but this is music and you can never know; for sure though their debut EP is a must.

A Story Well Told is out now and available @ https://chapter19band.bandcamp.com/album/a-story-well-told