One Without

One Without est un jeune groupe suédois formé en 2003 sur Göteborg et qui propose avec Thoughts of a Secluded Mind son tout premier album studio. Formé à l’initiative du guitariste Joonas Niskanen, il propose un métal inspiré, au son typiquement suédois (dans la veine de In Flames ou Soilwork) mais légèrement détourné au profit d'une touche gothique et sombre et d'un aspect pop assez présent. Au chant, le groupe bénéficie de la présence de Catrin Feymark dont la voix claire et puissante fait des merveilles, secondée par le guitariste Kenny Boufadene qui pose quelques lignes vocales hurlées renforçant le côté dark des titres.

Et ce premier album est une belle petite réussite. Les parties instrumentales de grande qualité sont enrichies par de très bons soli de guitare, mélodiques et énergiques. Il a en tout cas de quoi séduire les fans du genre, en particulier les déçus de l’évolution d’un Lacuna Coil, qui trouveront leur bonheur dans ce mélange parfaitement réussi de pop et de métal ne faiblissant pas tout au long des 12 titres proposé par l'album.

Dès Farewell, qui ouvre les hostilités, on est en effet complètement séduit. Le titre dispose d’un refrain très efficace et est parfaitement servi par une Catrin qui module sa voix de belle manière, d’abord très douce sur les couplets puis plus puissante sur le refrain, à la manière d’une Simone Simons ou d’une Sharon Den Adel. Le titre est de plus fort bien servi par un solo heavy métal très efficace. Et par la suite, cette bonne impression se confirme, One Without ne révolutionnant certes pas le genre mais témoignant d'une fraicheur et d'une envie qui font du bien.

Un titre comme Withered Serenade, porté par une mélodie entêtante et des claviers très bien utilisés, fait largement son effet. Tout comme c’est le cas du plus heavy Reign Wiht Hate, au riff d’entrée très efficace, ou encore d’Ignorance. Ce dernier titre est d’abord assez rentre-dedans, avant que la voix de Catrin n’apporte une belle douceur sur les couplets, contribuant à faire de ce mix entre heavy et passages calmes une parfaite réussite.

On retiendra enfin Reachable Existence, qui a tout du tube en puissance avec une mélodie de guitare imparable, un chant à la fois puissant et efficace, pour un résultat sonnant très métal moderne sans pour autant donner dans le commercial, grâce notamment à une partie instrumentale parfaite et un solo encore très incisif.

Ce Thoughts of a Secluded Mind est donc une vraie réussite et constitue pour One Without un beau ticket d’entrée dans un genre très encombré. Ce groupe se révèle en tout cas comme un bon outsider ayant toutes les cartes en main pour devenir un grand du genre. - Progressive Waves (French)

- - Powerplay Magazine UK

From Gothenburg, Sweden comes One Without. The bands history begins in 2003 and since that time they have released two demos, a single and now this - their full-length debut called "Thoughts Of A Secluded Mind" on Lifeforce records. And what a debut it is. The band play melodic metal with a mix of many different styles, including Gothic and yes even pop. One of the most pleasantly unexpected aspects of this CD is the diversity and sheer emotional power of the songs.

One Without shouldn't be scared off by the mention of "Pop" in their sound, that is only one aspect of what this band has to offer, their core sound lies in melodic metal. Ironically, the first song is titled "Farewell" and it is a 4-minute shot of adrenalin that really kicks things off into high gear. I really liked the lead vocals of Catrin Feymark, she has a clean and clear mid-range style that fits in well with the heavy guitar riffs and the melodic nature of the songs. Guitarist Kenny Boufadene is there to provide "screaming" type of vocals that are usually being delivered in concert with Catrin's voice, giving it a unique direction and it is really a high point of this album. After the power of the opening track, the band does not let up for a second as a blazing guitar riff introduces the next track "Your Game". Again, this song is full of melody and just an overall impressive number with plenty of hot shot guitar licks to keep the musically inclined satisfied and once again a powerful vocal performance by Catrin makes this one of my favorites, at the moment. "Before We All" takes things into a more mid-tempo direction, but there are still heavy riffs to be found here, but this is one song that I believe could be accessible for mass appeal. The band do not let up for a second as the tracks "Separation", "Reign With Hate" and "Distance Between" really deliver hard and fast. The final song "Chained" quickly became one of my favorites and is a great way to end things with it's passionate melody and great lyrics.

"Thoughts Of A Secluded Mind" is 12-songs and 53-minutes worth of some pretty impressive metal that should find the band reaping some rewards for their hard work and dedication. The songs are accessible, but not overly commercial. A job very, very well done by this great young Swedish band. - Femme Metal

This is the 2nd album from the Swedish One Without. The first album (Thoughts of a Secluded Mind) came 2009. The front woman and leadsinger: Carin Feymark makes the difference between a quite ordinary progressive metal album and this in my view little goldpiece.
I specially like the melody in the hit "Pretender" and the background growling from the guitarist Kenny Boufadene. On "Bright New Insight" you can hear that In Flames is a big source of inspiration. But OW finds their own lane in the great Gothenbourgh-metal highway. The motivation is high to release a well composed record.

This album was mixed by Mattias Wänerstam and mastered by Dragan Tanaskovic (Mustasch, In Flames, Europe and Evergrey) and you can hear that these guys stands for high quality production .

You get 17 tracks to enjoy and my favourite tracks are "Pretender", "Hunger", "A Bright New Insight" and "Sweet Relief". Here is a message from the band : They will give away this album for free on their own website on the 29 April, 2011. But I hope that you spend some money and buy the record and support these youngsters to a 3rd album! - Power of Metal

Rating 9/10

Currently available as a FREE download (I did say FREE) from their website, Swedes One Without fronted by Catrin Feymark together with growls from Kenny Boufadene, hit us with their second album, and what an awesome 17 track affair this is. Their debut album 'Thoughts of a Secluded Mind' was a high octane affair, and this release continues the 'Gothenburg Metal Sound', heavy riffs, hooks galore, an occasional subtle electro undercurrent, together with choruses that bounce around in your head for ages after the album has finished. I will not list each track individually but faves include 'Accusing Eyes', 'Souls of Thousands', 'Spit it Out' and 'Leaving Traces', confirming that this is a totally awesome offering from a band that completely deserves your support. Go to the band's website, download this offering here and even consider making a donation to their cause. If you are not a downloader, there are plans afoot for a physical copy to be released, just keep checking their website. This is good Melodic Metal, damn good. - Ravenheart Music

Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10

One Without is a very deceptive name, as this band isn’t missing anything. If you like melodic metal with some gothic touches you are in for a treat. Like an engine firing on all cylinders, One Without is roaring to the front with the release of their second album entitled Sweet Relief.
Based in Gothenburg, this Swedish quintet delivers the goods. Huge songs with strong melodies, solid performances and dark and moody lyrics fill Sweet Relief to overflowing. Following up on their 2009 debut album Thoughts of a Secluded Mind, One Without has tightened their teamwork and further defined their unique sound.
Fronted by the voices of Catrin Feymark and Kenny Boufadene, One Without is the perfect example of “beauty and the beast” vocals. Feymark has a very calm and silky smooth voice. She generates a lot of power but never goes “operatic” or even into a real falsetto. She keeps everything under control and is always clear and understandable. As a counterpoint, Kenny Boufadene is a pure growler – although remarkably clear. His rough edges contrast nicely with Feymark’s smoothness, giving many of their harmonies an interesting sound, and contribute to an almost metalcore feel to some of their vocal lines. Boufadene is no slouch with the guitars either. His fretwork blends nicely with fellow guitarist Joonas Niskanen, giving the band a formidable one-two punch. They both lay down some solid, driving rhythms and do a good job on their solos. Joni Kaartinen (bass) and Oscar Nilsson (drums) provide the backbone to the music. Both seem to be exceptional players and the engineering of the album brings their contributions to the fore, but neither dominates the music in any way. Their teamwork is good, and they are an integral part of the One Without sound. The band works well together and handles the numerous tempo changes and varied song styles without missing a beat (pun intended).
From the amazing dual vocals of the opening track, “Hunger,” to the martial machinegun drumming and slick acoustic style guitars as part of the final song, “This Is War,” One Without covers all the bases and a variety of styles. It is easy to overlook the contributions of the non-vocalists, but each member of the band in an integral part of the music. Big guitar hooks, pounding rhythms and intense drumming segue nicely into soft and moody, almost atmospheric passages – providing plenty of “different” musical moments to keep the listener interested through the massive 17 tracks. The crisp yet warm engineering also makes Sweet Relief a treat for the ears. “Forget Your Pride” is a prime example of the One Without style – it features the full suite of counterpoints: male & female vocals, clean singing & growls, slow vocal lines over fast rhythms, varying tempos…
The big and very upbeat track “Persistent” is one of the true highlights of the disc and features some great philosophical moments like “We live for tomorrow by living for today as heroes…” along with fine technical performances by voices and instruments alike. The somewhat alternative sounding riffs of “Accusing Eyes” and “Souls Of Thousands” again illustrate the wide range of musical talent, and Feymark’s vocal skills are particularly apparent on the latter. “Sweet Relief” is a bit thrash/metalcore, while “Spit It Out” is a more conventional metal track. “Pretender” has a great prog metal groove and a great driving bass/drum line to go along with some awesome growls, while intense tempo changes and outstanding vocals fill “Burning With Your Hopes And Dreams” making it a truly great singers track.
Sweet Relief is a fine album, free from the sophomore jinx. Musically solid and diverse in style, One Without seems poised to make a major impact on the goth metal and prog metal genres. If you like the more Gothic side of metal or are looking for something a little different, by all means grab this release. The best part – One Without has made this album available as a free download at their web site: http://www.onewithout.com/, so what do you have to lose… Get it, and enjoy!
Genre: Gothic Metal
Band:
Kenny Boufadene (guitars, vocals)
Catrin Feymark (vocals)
Joni Kaartinen (bass)
Joonas Niskanen (guitars)
Oscar Nilsson (drums)
Track Listing:
1. Hunger
2. Forget Your Pride
3. Persistent
4. Catatonic
5. Accusing Eyes
6. Souls Of Thousands
7. Sweet Relief
8. Spit It Out
9. Nothing To You
10. Burned Once Again
11. Pretender
12. A Bright New Insight
13. Open Wound
14. Burning With Your Hopes And Dreams
15. Leaving Traces
16. Stained With Your Words
17. This Is War
Label: OW Records (Independent)
Website: www.onewithout.com - Hardrock Haven

Suecia, país escandinavo con 449.964 km² y una población de algo más de 9 millones de habitantes, algo que no parece muy significativo de no ser por la escasa densidad de población resultante de la media: apenas 20 habitantes por Km2… y pese a ello, uno de los países de mayor (y mejor!) exportación musical de todos los tiempos!!! Tranquilos, esto no es una lección de geografía ni nada por el estilo, pero no deja de sorprenderme el enorme volumen de música metalera de gran calidad que legamos a recibir de este país. Y ya no estoy hablando sólo de los grandes nombres de la escena, léase Europe, At The Gates, In Flames, etc… ya que entre los grupos más jóvenes, el nivel compositivo es extraordinario! Y precisamente con una de esas bandas que están empezando a remover los cimientos de medio mundo quería quedarme. Se trata de One Without, oriundos de Göteborg (cuantas alegrías nos ha dado esta ciudad!!) y que viene practicando un metal digno de su tierra, rápido, con muchos cambios de ritmo, furioso y mordiente, pero endulzado por una voz femenina que aporta el matiz de serenidad necesario a la banda para escapar del saco de lo habitual.

Lejos de ser la típica banda con chica al frente, One Without consiguieron en 2009 con su anterior álbum, Thoughts of a Seculed Mind, abrirse las puertas de los mercados tanto europeos como asiáticos y americanos, hacer hasta 3 giras distintas con gente como Evergrey o Katatonia en un mismo año y aparecer en gran parte de los medios suecos, tanto televisivos como radiofónicos. Hoy, 2 años después, vuelven a la carga con "Sweet Relief", una álbum fresco y directo, con la respetable cantidad de 17 temas y con el que estoy seguro que muy pronto terminarán de convencer a los más radicales del género.

La idea principal de la música que encontraremos en "Sweet Relief" es una contundente base a cargo de Joni Kaartinen (bajo) y de la más reciente incorporación en OW, Oscar Nilsson (batería), unas guitarras, las de Joonas Niskanen y Kenny Boufadene, con un gancho tremendo, modificando el riff de los temas a su antojo sin llegar a saturar los mismos, muy bien compenetradas, y el uso (y no abuso) de samples que le dan más profundidad a las composiciones.

Como os comentaba antes, esta banda encajaría perfectamente dentro de esa etiqueta tan recurrida como sería el melodeath de corte moderno de no ser por la dulce voz de Catrin Feymark, quien viste los temas de una forma que hasta ahora no había apreciado en el género, una voz que a veces se torna enérgica, sin abusar del manido estilo operístico (a los dioses gracias…) y acompañada puntualmente por la voz agresiva y rabiosa de Kenny en algunos puentes y estribillos sin llegar esta a ser la voz principal. Así pues, encontramos temas como "Hunger", que abre el disco con mucha fuerza y dejando claras las intenciones de la banda, al igual que "Open Wound", esta quizá con un enfoque más "moderno", o el tema que dá título al álbum, "Sweet Relief", una de las canciones que más me han gustado del cd, con un corte más agresivo. Cercana a este línea, nos encontramos con "Burned Once Again", con una melodía vocal que te enganchará a la primera, "Persistent" con un marcado e insistente riff que desemboca en un estribillo abierto y sencillo con ambas voces, "A Bright New Sight", donde las guturales de Kenny cobran más protagonismo, sin ser un tema agresivo en absoluto y con un pegadizo puente pre-estribillo, o la final "This is War", donde la banda experimenta con los ya mencionados samples y un estribillo que casi golpea. Por supuesto, encontramos también la cara más pausada de One Without en la intensidad de "Catatonic", en la casi timidez de "Souls of Thousand" o en la melancolía de "Acussing Eyes", otra de mis favoritas y que en su tramo final posee una melodía compartida entre la guitarra y la voz de Catrin con un feelin´ que hace que se te erice el vello! Pero si realmente hay algo que me llama la atención de todo esto es que su primer video/single, "Pretender", ocupe la decimoprimera posición, cuando lo más habitual es que no pasara de la cuarta, detalle con el que supongo que la banda quiere dejar claro que ellos no son "flor de un día". Y hablando de "Pretender", he aquí donde confluyen todas las características de "Sweet Relief": una base poderosa, grandes guitarras adornando el tema de forma constante y una voz con mucha intención pero siempre en una textura suave y un estribillo pegadizo, os aseguro que no será una canción que seáis capaces de escuchar una sola vez.

En el apartado técnico, "Sweet Relief" fue grabado a caballo entre los estudios AudioG8 y Utposten por los guitarristas de la banda, mezclado por Mattias Wänerstam, quien ya se ocupó de las mezclas en su anterior trabajo y masterizado por Dragan Tanaskovic, quien también hizo lo propio en "Thoughts...".

Si estás buscando un grupo alejado de los típicos clichés del más que manido "femmale fronted metal", One Without es sin duda una gran opción. - Metalfreak (Spanish)

Rating – 90/100

The Swedish Gothic/Modern Metal outfit One Without has already released a strong debut album in 2009 with "Thoughts of a Secluded Mind". Now the band follows that up with an even bigger, relentless and focused sophomore effort with "Sweet Relief". One Without is fronted by the duel beauty and the beast style vocals of Catrin Feymark and Kenny Boufadene. Obviously that is not a new concept, but Catrin does not provide an operatic style like so many others, instead she opts for a more mid-range, clean and crystal clear style to go along with the sheer brutality and intensity provided by Kenny Boufadene. You like melody? There are also some great moments of melodicism, in fact one of the things that One Without does so effectively is to mix moments of melody along with aggressive parts. It is all right here. From the opening song "Hunger" to the closer "This Is War", "Sweet Relief" features a lot of cool moments. Another thing that I really loved about this album is you don’t need a lyric sheet, the vocals (both male and female) are crystal clear and you can pretty much understand every word. Highlights include: "Forget Your Pride", "Catatonic", "Open Wound", "Burning With Your Hopes and Dreams" and "Leaving Traces". One Without has really packed this release to capacity with 17-songs and 60-minutes worth of some truly memorable and potent metal. In short, there is no "Relief" from the intensity that engulfs this 2nd album from this Swedish band. I am perfectly aware that my opinion doesn’t count for a lot, but in my (not so) humble opinion, One Without are going to be huge.

- Femme Metal