The King Midas in reverse band name prepares you for a debut album of angst-fuelled songs and that is precisely what you get.
No surprises then that there are not a lot of laughs to be found in these ten sorrowful tracks.
This earnest Edinburgh five-piece are one of those bands who are frequently lauded for being 'atmospheric' and 'haunting' .
The grandiose 'atmospheric' instrumentation takes its cues from the quiet-loud conventions of post-rock and the bombast of prog-rock.
Elizabeth Heaton's 'haunting' voice is a cross between Grace Slick and Amy Lee of Evanescence and she seems to be endlessly imploring the listener to share her sorrow (although the exact source of her distress is never entirely clear).
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On paper it is a formula that might just work yet after fifty minutes of uninterrupted drama and angst I was praying for at least one quiet, melodic ballad to lighten the mood.
Occasionally, you get a brief sense that somewhere there might be a simple song hidden away. The piano intro to 17, for example, suggests a tender pop song about "who I used to be" but then the shimmering crescendos, portentous drumbeats and plaintive vocals kick in once more.
Midas Fall try their best to sound epic but just wind up sounding seriously dull.
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