Amarulence - Implications Inferred

Amarulence

Implications Inferred
self-released; 2015

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Johnathan Wilcox (guitar/bass/piano/vocals and drum programming) and Amerigo V. Romano (drum programming) are Amarulence. Their recent effort Implications Inferred is a relatively straightforward rock album with solid songwriting.

The production and recording quality is about equal to a demo and also has some very unusual things occurring once in awhile. Take for instance the opener “All of the Time.” The song is decently written but the phasing effect makes it feel as if someone is literally moving the volume knob as fast as they can. Besides that the song has a decent energy but the phasing effect is too distracting to take notice.

“She Runs the World Outside” is a straightforward rock song. The vocals lay on top of the mix and often lack proper energy. Wilcox sings, “She runs the world outside / I never wanna make her cry / She may be wanting more and more / down the path that I was looking for.”

“Trampled On” is an acoustic guitar track and one of the issues I started noticing was how deflated the lead vocal sounded on occasion during the verse. Wilcox often sounds better when the vocals are doubled and on the chorus.

“Not Okay” is a depressing self-obsessed song about how miserable he is. Wilcox sings, “I know why it's getting harder / My sense of self getting farther / While my mind begins to wander / I don't care any longer / I feel like there's nothing to say / I'm so bored, it's so gray / I feel this every day / I'm not okay, I'm not okay.” Similarly dismal topics show up on songs like “Golden Death,” “Disconnected” and “Scarring, Isn't It?”  

​Implications Inferred may not feel like a dark album but the lyrics certainly are. Wilcox paints himself stuck in a pit of self-despair and doesn't see much of a way out. If he continues to release more music even a small tinge of hope and less focus on the “I” would go a long way.

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