Artist: Taproot
Album: The Episodes
Label: Victory Records
Release Date: 10th April 2012
Track Listing:
1. Good Morning
2. No Surrender
3. Lost Boy
4. Memorial Park
5. The Everlasting
6. Around The Bend
7. A Kiss From The Sky
8. Strange & Fascinating
9. A Golden Grey
10. We Don’t Belong Here
Taproot have over the 15 years together as a band become a much welcomed across the US Billboards, selling over 900,000 in the US alone, and as they set about to release their latest album ‘ The Episodes’ we can almost expect to see this number climbing. With 5 previous albums, numerous tours, and having been featured in such outlets as Rolling Stone, Revolver, Rock Sound, and Kerrang!, there seems to be no stopping them. ‘The Episodes’ itself has been developed primarily as a concept album with an outlook of intensifying their own knowledge and search for understanding whilst maintaining their alternative rock sound and pace.
As we first enter the album, there is the overall feeling of losing yourself to the music. The use of vocal effects takes heavy place on here, yet with all the other arrangement of effects active in this track you still have the melodic pacing of the music keeping you listening. Without stopping you are sent from track to track like that of an endless spiral, cleverly done without the need of that feeble half second pause. The combinations between the synths and effects of the panning between the right and left ears has been very well produced, not too heavy on either or muddy at all. Again, as tracks come and go, you are taken on the journey that the band is trying to show you.
When you get to ‘Memorial Park’ you’ll almost feel an atmospheric change happening from within, the music is becoming a part of you taking you deeper into the melodic harmonies. The use of the “computer-aided voice” to break up the tracks is just enough to save you from losing concentration. With the mixture and growls, shouts, effects and choruses, this is an excellent chill out album for those nights where you just want to disappear into yourself for a little while. From ‘A Kiss in the Sky’ to ‘A Golden Grey’ I found myself almost immersed in my seat just at peace with everything.
An amazing concept album; full with life, Sounds, Effects, and songs to free you.
Taproot are:
Stephen Richards – Guitar, Vocals
Mike De Wolf – Guitar
Phillip Lipscomb – Bass
Nick Fredell – Drums
9/10
Reviewed by Dylan Raine
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 
Great review!! I do have to point out 1 small error, you have “loosing” twice in the body and it should be “losing”. Loose is an adjective. His shoelaces were very loose. Just trying to help, not point out your mistakes. It really is a well written piece.
Thanks Ed, correction done 🙂
I feel like Finland and other country’s will always be able to appreciate music in ways that American metal fans wouldn’t.
That being said, I anticipating this record quite a bit, for the melodic structure I heard in the first single and what felt like real ambiance in the preview I heard of ‘the everlasting’
i dont know why, but i always hope for their latest release to be hard again like gift, then i buy their album and wanna cry inside……they have a formula it seems…. a bunch of mediocre emo type soft songs, with one or two good harder type songs, but even the “harder” songs end up with some boring radio friendly chorus…..i saw these guys in nyc 3 years ago and talked to phil..he told me i would like “episodes” after describing the sound i prefer from them (since most of these songs were written years ago) but im really not feeling it…..the biggest let down was a kiss from the sky…the youtube clips of the demo from years ago had a way better vocal melody..i dont know why steven chose to change it….THATS what made the song in my opinion…however its still to early to give an honest chance on this album.. i need a few nights in bed with my ear buds, lights out and complete listens to form a better opinion..either way, i still think taproot are way underrated and should be much bigger then they are now…..