Iwan Rheon is an actor and musician from Carmarthen, a town in Wales. He has gained critical acclaim for his roles on television as Simon Bellamy on the E4 series Misfits, and as Ramsay Bolton on the HBO series, Game of Thrones and in film as Mick Mars, the guitarist for Mötley Crüe in the 2019 movie, The Dirt. I have previously reviewed his debut EP, and if you want to check that out for yourself then click here. Today, I will be reviewing his follow up EP ‘Changing Times’ which was released on October 10th 2011.
‘Changing Times’ kicks off with a percussive fill before flowing into an up tempo guitar melody. It immediately gives off a really nice vibe and then that’s picked up and enhanced by Rheon’s vocals. I’m sure I talked about it in the previous review but I really like his voice, he has a soft, melodic cadence that really lends itself to music and this type of track especially. But yeah this first track starts things off on a strong note, a beautifully paced, well performed number that shows off his talent as a singer and songwriter.
‘Ar Dân’ hammers forward, a blend of percussion, guitars and bass, creating a busy, folk infused, high energy melody. I described Rheon’s voice as soft earlier, this has positive and negative connotations although I only really meant it positively but he proves in this song he has a masterful command of his vocals and really manages to hit harder and deeper notes just as well. I loved this track, it maintained the initial energy really well, and didn’t falter. You can easily just get caught up in this track, the peaks and falls, the highs and lows. But overall it’s superb, and takes the top spot on this EP for me.
‘Falling’ slows things down a touch, a guitar carries us into this track, and again I’m amazed by Rheon’s voice, melodic and powerful and richly textures. It’s simpler off the bat after the complex blend of instrumental backing the previous track had, but it doesn’t remain so, as it picks up gaining depth and new elements as it builds and progresses. It’s a very close second favourite on what has already been an absolute belter of an EP.
‘Sink’ keeps things on a slower note again, softer and more melodic and as I’ve said previously, Rheon’s voice is in its element during tracks like this. This was a great track to close out on, a deep and passionate ballad, backed by energetic but evenly paced guitars that bring even more warmth to the track.
So that’s what I thought of Iwan Rheon’s EP ‘Changing Times’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and support the artist by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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