NINE

Released in 2004, Platitude's 'Nine' is the follow-up to their debut album, 'Secrets of Life', which was released just a year prior, and it's evident in such a short time how much this band has matured and polished their sound.

Part progressive metal, part power metal, somewhat labelled as 'melodic metal', Platitude have that very distinctive European metal style down to a tee. Their songs are pretty easy to get into, with high-energy guitar riffs and beautifully melodic keyboards, this is essentially prog metal which doesn't require a dozen listens to pick up. Vocalist Erik Blomkvist has an incredible voice, able to hit the high notes while keeping warmth in his tone when not wailing away, his is a voice I could easily listen to all day.

One major difference between this album and its predecessor is that while 'Secrets of Life' had a very neoclassical edge to it, with a huge emphasis on shredding and virtuoso guitar playing, 'Nine' has taken a step back and stripped down the number of acrobatics. This favours guitarist Gustav Kollerstrom heavily, as his style is more riff-oriented, and while he isn't known by any means for being a guitar guru, his performance and songwriting is impeccable and consistently interesting, and the very few times he does truly let rip stand out even more because of it.

Some of the highlights from this album include 'Skies of Xenon', 'Dark Mind', 'Trust', 'Halcyon Days', 'Oblivion' and 'Catch 22'. But pretty much every song on this release is of a high standard, making 'Nine' by Platitude an incredibly underrated hidden gem, by a band which sadly mostly stayed under the radar of fans of this genre. If you're into melodic metal, then this, or its successor, 'Silence Speaks' are definitely worth checking out.