5th Element - Breaking Ground

5th Element

Breaking Ground
self-released; 2015

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
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Ann Richardson (vocals), Neil Hughes (guitar/vocals), Alan McEnteggart (guitar/vocals), Dave Walton (bass) and Phil Oakley (drums) are 5th Element. The band has rocked many crowds playing covers from bands like AC/DC, The Cult, Muse, Bon Jovi, Evanescence, Whitesnake, and Iron Maiden. Recently they released an EP entitled Breaking Ground which contains the band's first ever originals. 

As you may have guessed their originals carry a strong resemblance to the bands that they were covering. Were you expecting that they would delve into trip-hop and glitch? 

5th Element is a heavy rock band with a good amount of attitude. Richardson has a voice that is custom made to be a singer in a rock band. Her voice is powerful and although I haven’t seen them live I would think she commands the stage when she is performing. Her voice is more aligned with ‘80s rock female vocalists than contemporary singers and I didn’t mind that one bit. 

“Help Me” is one of the highlights on the EP, which has “single” written all over it. The guitar riffs are heavy and I have to say the production was great. I felt the tone of the guitars were powerful with the perfect amount of distortion. The song is catchy and equipped with a couple of impressive lead guitar parts. Don’t miss the heavy transitions towards the four-minute mark.

The band also has a softer side with “How Good You Are.” Imagine Bon Jovi during their acoustic phase but with a female singer. Richardson has a voice that works quite well with the hard rocking tunes and the more emotionally resonant ones. “Who Am I” is a fairly, straight forward rocking tune with a kinetic energy that doesn't quit till it's over.

I can’t say 5th Element has a contemporary sound. Their music will resonate with fans of the aforementioned bands and in particular ‘80s and early ‘90s hard rock. If you can get down with a bit of nostalgia and still have want to rock like you used to with a slightly different feel then Breaking Ground will be right up your alley.

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