Album Review: XIII - Bloody Banks Of The Swan

Within the first few seconds of opening track (Don’t) Leave Me Alone, one could think this is a new Gyroscope album, especially with those deep, rough vocals. It's not surprising when you know that XIII is a new solo project by Gyroscope frontman and co-founder Dan Sanders, who wanted to explore his darker side and do it all by himself, literally down to almost every instrument.

Lawyer and Hell Mary bring out Sanders’ signature screams, with fast-paced rock beats that get you into the head banging mood. Things get trippy with I’ve Been Tripping My Face Off Since Last Christmas as the guitars get you high at the start before Sanders comes in with a very mellow, almost bored tone until he explodes in the chorus. The title track almost sounds a bit country-rock with a harmonica thrown into the mix.

La Lumen is mysterious and bound to hit our airwaves soon, it's different from Sanders' other tracks, neither loud nor boring, but sufficiently alt-rock enough to keep you wanting more. Vulture is a great acoustic track to finish off the album, helping capture the different sides of Sanders. On this record he's let his creativity run wild while also managing to stay true to his art by creating a masterpiece that he can call his own.