New Radiant Storm King have had a long and underappreciated history in indie rock, falling in a niche that groups like latter-day Sunny Day Real Estate eventually fell into - that of the indie arena/prog rock group. Their melodies were on and off, but the guitarwork and instrumentation was consistently masterful and inventive. Unfortunately, NRSK have not quite been able to fit into any particular section or era of modern independent music, and despite gaps between albums, they've been active and consistently delivering what they're good at - great rock albums.
The Steady Hand is NRSK's latest, bringing in 2006 with a distinct, epic call. If nothing else, this is definitely a great sounding album, shimmering from side to side. The guitars are heavy, but clean. The synths are not distracting nor detracting, and the best songs build up to grandiose peaks. The Steady Hand grabs you from second one with an "Overture" that starts off softly and explodes into an intense, fiery piercing of guitars, which leads immediately into the epic "The Winding Staircase". "Accountant of the Year" is a great slice of classic indie rock with the band's trademark rock kick. "View of a Wedding Pt. 2" is a gorgeous piece of indie pop that builds into a six-minute lullaby. The Steady Hand peaks with "Fighting off the Pricks" and "From a Roof", two massive rock songs that don't leave the melodies behind.
Everything I love about this album is in the sound. It's very classic, early 90's rock, with a 70's sensibility. I appreciated this in context of the aforementioned Sunny Day Real Estate album The Rising Tide as well, which I think is a good comparison for those who have never heard NRSK. Yet what I don't like about it is everything that NRSK have never quite had a grasp on, and that's the songwriting and melodies. The songs that didn't grab me right away never really did. Nothing is bad, but a few times The Steady Hand slips into "background music" territory, unfortunately.
For anyone with an appreciation for solid guitar rock, though, let it be known that New Radiant Storm King are very much alive and still going strong. The strong points carry The Steady Hand all the way into a fantastic start for the new year.
By Kyle Dilla
(originally posted on) Music Underwater