UMUR "Radio Candy" is the 2nd full-length studio album by New Zealand, Auckland based alternative rock/metal act The Symphony of Screams. The album was released through Triple A Records in June 2013. The same label that reissued the band´s debut album "Heed to the Voices (2008)" in 2012. It´s been 5 years between the two releases, but the lineup who recorded "Heed to the Voices (2008)" is intact on "Radio Candy".

Stylistically The Symphony of Screams pretty much continue down the same alternative rock/metal path on "Radio Candy" as they did on "Heed to the Voices (2008)". At least when speaking of their core sound, which are influenced by artists like Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. They´ve developed and diversified that sound a bit since "Heed to the Voices (2008)" was released through. Tracks like the opening title track and "Amsterdam Place" (which is an ode to getting high in Amsterdam) reveal a more humourous side to the band´s music.

It´s still Te Matera Smith´s strong and emotional vocal delivery that´s in focus, but there are several powerful and heavy riffs on the album, that should be counted among the album´s assets too. While "Heed to the Voices (2008)" was a dark and heavy rock/metal affair with occasional alternative rock excursions, I´d say the scale has tipped a bit on "Radio Candy", which features quite a few acoustic driven tracks, which don´t necessarily feature heavy riffs.

The album is well produced, well played/sung, and for the most part well written. Like the case was on the debut album I still think an hours playing time is a bit too much, and not all tracks are equally intriguing, but the quality of the material is generally pretty high though. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

Kev Rowland So, a mere six years on from their debut, and the same line-up was back with the second album. I don’t know how long it took for them to record this one, but it is almost as if they have gone back to the debut and said “what do we need to do to make this one harder, more jagged, with more ideas and use of dynamics?” While this is very much a continuation of the debut, it is as if a fine gauze has been removed that one wasn’t aware was there before, as this is incredibly vibrant and powerful in a way that I thought the debut was, but when compared to this it can be seen that it wasn’t quite the complete product that this quite definitely is. Everything about this just works, incredibly well. Whatever you want from this style of music is definitely there, and not just in spades but in the all the other suits as well!

Intense but moody, jagged but refined, hard but gentle and atmospheric, it is all here. In the last year I have been able to hear some incredible kiwi bands producing some incredible albums, which is a European setting would have them on the front pages of all the rock press, and this is no exception. If you enjoy grunge style metal, and want to hear one of the finest examples of that style you are ever likely to come across, then this is it. www.aaarecords.com/Symphony-of-Screams/