Review Summary: "A Storm in Heaven" is a journey through the spaced out minds of The Verve. While it may not be a Bittersweet Symphony, this albums' wall of sound has much to offer if you taken the time to really listen to the details it reveals after each listen.
The Band:
Richard Ashcroft - Vocals, guitar, some percussion and saxophone
Nick McCabe - Guitars, Piano, Keyboards, Accordian
Simon Jones - Bass, Vocals
Peter Salisbury - Drums, Percussion
Yvette Lacey - Flute
Simon Clarke - Flute, Horn Arrangements
After the release of their debut self titled EP, Verve (later changing their name to The Verve after this album) recorded their first first full length album in 1993. Choosing not to include any early singles from their EPs, the Verve recorded all original music for "A Storm in Heaven". The result is an original body of work the sounds much like the soundtrack to a dream. From the begining of "Star Sail" the album locks you in a trance and doesn't let go until the final notes of the approprietly titled "See You In the Next One"
This album takes the typical early Verve formula of spacey spiraling guitars over a trippy bass line and jazz inflected drums and but turns up the distortion this time around. Ascroft hasn't quite perfected his craft at this point so his vocals are not as memorable as they would become on later albums, none the less, he gets the job done on the beautful ballad "Virtual World" and the pounding "Blue".
Although most tracks lack any traditional form of song structure, the band sound more pop friendly on the albums best tracks "Slide Away" and "Blue" while still managing to stay true to the shoegazer aesthetics. Other pieces here are content to almost be mood pieces and can be borderline boring, but this is only part of the journey of this album.
In all this is a fine effort, and although The Verve's true masterpieces lie in their later albums, here is where they perfected it all. "A Storm in Heaven" is a journey through the spaced out minds of The Verve. While it may not be a Bittersweet Symphony, this albums' wall of sound has much to offer. This is one of those albums that you will find new details and melodies with repeated listens. If you've ever had more than a passing interest in the Verve I would recommend you a listen.
