Delphi Ravens – KEEPER OF SECRETS (Album Review)

Today’s review features the new album Keeper Of Secrets by Pacific Northwest band the Delphi Ravens, founded in late 2019 by bassist and ASCAP songwriter Steve Burgess aka Papa B and vocalist Kira. The band says its sound is like the “Deftones, Evanescence, Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, etc.”, those are legendary shoes to fill. “Nine songs have received 16 songwriting awards in 2021-24.” Expectations heightened!

So let’s have a listen …

The album kicks off with the song Between the Lines. An old 60s type guitar riff, reminds me of Garage Rock and a friend’s band, Widdershins. The lead guitar gets its break, would have liked more inventive lead lines. I do like the vocal lyric line about kangaroos.

A heavy riff, but without the heaviness of popular bands in this genre. This one reminds me of Rocky Horror Picture Show for some reason. Without the Meatloaf. The vocalist is ok, a sort of psychedelic 60s voice, but not a standout. The lead guitar lines are just ok, not feeling it.

Bittersweet starts off with a slow piano vamp then drops the piano in exchange for a psychedelic guitar vamp. I like this song so far. It has a nice flow and a revolving chord progression. I think the song should be titled “Easier”, again the lead guitar line is ok, but not brilliant. I keep wanting more out of this lead guitarist.

The fourth song How Wrong You Were starts off with a nice rhythm guitar riff. The rhythm guitar sounds good in this one. I’m getting used to the 60s psychedelic nature of the vocalist. The lead guitar even sounds good on this song. Best song on the album so far.

The fifth song Final Chance starts off with an atonal guitar riff, but the vocals kick in nicely. I don’t know why this band says they sound like the Deftones, they don’t. They should be pushing their psychedelic genre vibe. Anyway, this song is in the better camp. Very psychedelic lead guitar vibe, even if the playing is simple. I keep wanting more out of this lead guitarist.

The production on this album is sub-par, feels like it was recorded in a home studio. The guitar playing is ok, but clumsy in ways.

Last Memories starts with an Indian (the country) type guitar vibe, but soon gets back to a power alternative chord riff. I like the vocal effect in the bridge of the song. They should consider using that as the primary vocal effect in all the songs. 

The eighth track Hardest Goodbye starts off with a nice short guitar solo. Kira’s vocals sound good in this song. I like the chord progression. I’ve been aggravated by some of the arrangement choices on other songs. Still, this band is missing out on their identity by not taking advantage of their 60s psychedelic renaissance sound. It’s a popular genre currently.

Every band, like this band, claims that it’s “indie rock” and “alternative rock” nowadays, but those terms have become truly meaningless. Anyway, Hardest Goodbye is my second favorite song on this album. Love the slowed down ending.

Red to Black starts with drums, bass, and rhythm guitar. Power riff. Then the vocals kick in. I think the lyrics are interesting on most of these songs, although it’s hard to tell as the instruments sometimes overwhelm the vocals. Still, I hope this band starts advertising themselves as 60s psych.

They do not sound like Evanescence, Fleetwood Mac, or Foo Fighters. Nice lead guitar solo and tone in this song. Would prefer more vocals in the mix. I like the B3 keyboard that comes in later in this song.

Insomnia – “I’m doing anything to keep awake”. Feels like me listening to this record, LOL. The recording or mix of the guitars seems like they’re just missing some edge out of the amps, maybe need more mix compression. This band definitely has a 60s psychedelic vibe, it dominates their tonality. Really not digging the alarm clock that goes off at the end of this song.

The tenth track on the album Phobia starts off with a slow but interesting guitar riff, then the band joins in and simplifies the riff just when it was getting interesting. I’m getting used to Kira’s voice. Very psychedelic, have I mentioned that before? A heavily effected background voice in this song, which sounds good in the mix. The lead guitar sounds nice in this song.

Delphi Raven is the album’s title cut. Starts off with drums and a feedback-induced guitar. Simple rhythm riff. A repeating guitar solo. Very simple two chord riff, finally joined by the vocals 2 minutes into the song. I like the heavier reverb on the voice in this song. The song then gets into a heavier version, with a quicker cadence. I like the backing vocals in this song. Maybe my third favorite song on the album.

Justify, the twelfth track, starts off with a bass solo. The riff is old-style rock. I’m not digging this song/arrangement. It sounds like an old-late 50s rock song, keep wanting the song to do something more interesting.

The album’s final cut Take My Hand starts off with a really nice arpeggiated guitar riff and a slow wistful vocal, which feels like keyboard strings in the background. The drum fills, and then the song straightens out and becomes less interesting. The song gets more interesting with a string section at the end before finally resolving back into the initial arpeggiated guitar riff to end.

I think the band needs to work on their song arrangements. They could be making better choices. It’s like they have pieces of doing the right thing, mixed in with pieces of not making the right choice. Not sure if this is a limitation of skill or imagination. Almost there, but not quite. Like a cliche.

SCORE/Good: Good, but not great. The notes are all in their place, but the production on this album is sub-par. The band has a very 60s psychedelic genre sound, even if there’s a bit of crossover. The band should capitalize on this new genre classification in their marketing. The guitars could have been even heavier. This is a solid record, but needs better production and songwriting choices. Much love, Beth

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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