This is a review of "Changing Tides" recorded by Nonpareil. The review was written by Gavin Miller in 2005.

Blimey, these guys are serious. Very serious. There’s moody inlay pictures of the band looking all sullen, there’s black everywhere and some very arty song titles. Christ, they should maybe lighten up a bit.

‘Only One’ is a downbeat (now there’s a surprise!) melodic indie rock affair, with some plucked guitars, some steady drumming and some big singing. Sometimes though, singer Logan fails to hit those notes he’s aiming for. Still, it’s a nice enough slab of bleak rock... shit! where did that come from? It’s suddenly gone all rocky. Ooooh, this gets better... Oh, and it’s gone again. Nice work guys, you had me for a moment there.

‘Eclipse’ starts out all dark and moody, with a bigger chorus pedal to guitar ratio than most bands, it’s sounding very distant and dark at the moment. After the big rock out with distorted guitars thrashing about everywhere, the track settles down again and there’s some singing. Fuck, there’s eight minutes of this! I’m expecting nothing less than some crazy Tool- isms or some fucked up Sonic Youth esque feedback bonanza for this one... Well, it ends with an impressive mix of dynamics and loud noises, a pseudo Tool rock out if you will. But then again, no-one comes close to Maynard and co.

The darkness continues with ‘The Perjuror’- man, this is dark. All rocking guitars, squealing leads and shouty vocals. Christ, how bleak is this? It still manages to rock though, with its ferocious guitars, blazing leads and distorted vocals.

‘Living With A View’ is, surprisingly enough, a beautiful little acoustic/ piano/ strings number. Very grandiose, it sweeps along and finishes the CD with a marked change of direction. Nice switch guys, proves there’s more to your output than shouting and thrashing.

Anyone with an interest in the more dark and disturbing moments of rock music, a lá Tool, A Perfect Circle, Opeth, etc. would be advised to check this out. It’s ambitious and impressive.

Right, I need a drink and some Beach Boys after that...