Idaho is yet another place I’ve never been to but The Challis Effect hail from there so it must be worth a visit. Talking of The Challis Effect – the trading name for one Matthew "Axl" Brammer – they, or rather he does, show the macho side of emotional vulnerability throughout “Your Heart Was Built On A Graveyard Of Lies”.
When you hear the gruff vocals, you might well wonder if wearing his heart on a sleeve would get our Mr Brammer anywhere but, to his credit, he easily convinces as the man with both a heart and a black hat. If we take “Time To say Goodbye” as an example, he takes the blue collar route to heartbreak and torment and, though I perhaps doubt it would have been his stylistic intention, he pulls off a Bruce Springsteen level of authenticity with this approach.
Whilst it is true that the words and the voice far exceed the leaden hybrid acoustic into metal musicianship used as a vessel to transport the emotions to our ears, The Challis Effect make a very decent showing here.