Far Away Stables - Between Rage and Serenity (Own Label)

When Sentinel Daily‘s Ed, Scott Adams flicked me a copy of the debut album of Sydney’s own Far Away Stables, I had no idea what to expect. With a single listen I could tell it is an impressive debut and should find it’s way into many a collection. Sounding to me like a mix of Sleeping with Sirens and a heavier version of Hawthorne Heights I was easily able to get into the album immediately from the start.

Far Away Stables formed in late 2011 as a merger of several projects. After coming together, the band went on to release two formative EPs; The Art of Madness and Beggar’s Plea (both are sold out and now out of print). They have undertaken extensive touring across Australia, the US and South East Asia and have supported the likes of Paramore, The Offspring, Hands Like Houses and The Red Jumpsuit Aparatus to name just a few.

Far Away Stables’ album Between Rage and Serenity was produced, mixed & mastered by Sonny Truelove at STL Studios in Sydney and additional engineering was handled by Evan Lee, also at STL Studios.

The opening track, Caldera, starts with a symphonic riff reminiscent of Kashmir by Led Zeppelin, but then changes track very quickly to sound like earlier efforts from Sleeping With Sirens. From there the quality of the album does not dissipate. The tracks are heavy with some really nice licks provided by Mitchell Grace and Nick Palmer that give some real melodic tones. The songs lyric patterns give the whole album a very catchy feel and Brendan Sheargold’s vocals are dripping with raw emotion throughout, a voice that is constantly pleading with the listener and in rare instances breaks into a scream, most notably in Azalea. The rhythm section made up of Tim Byles (Bass) and Cam Bury (Drums/Vocals) combines nicely and drives all songs strongly throughout. I have been able to listen to the album several times, I find that the songs are catchy and really hold up well after a few listens.

I was telling my son Sam about the new album I was listening to and as soon as I described them as an Australian band, that sounded like a cross between Sleeping With Sirens and Hawthorne Heights named Far… He said “Away Stables”. He had caught them live previously and was impressed with their live act. I asked him to give me a younger viewpoint to add in after having a quick listen to the album as he is quite familiar with the genre that Far Away Stables falls within. His thoughts on the matter was that the album is an absolute must for those who miss the earlier sound of Sleeping With Sirens. While the sound of this recording is not as heavy as their live show, (few bands can convey this) he believes the new material has progressed significantly since he saw them. So from the mouths of babes… well young adults, the thought is that this should resonate with the public.

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