The long-awaited debut EP from World Collapse (on Reaper Records) sees the German outfit treading a path that's sure to incite intensely mixed reactions from listeners—from the music, to the artwork, to the band's image... and everything in between. That the group's lineup contains ex-members of the mighty True Blue should be in no way indicative of World Collapse's approach, as this EP bears a style far removed from even their tracks previously available online in years past. The odd (if not frightening) phrase, "Hardcore spirit with new wave decadence.", can be found amidst the band's biographical information, and to be honest with you that's actually a fairly accurate assessment in many respects. The overtly melodic framework of the compositions relies on singing vocals with catchy arrangements and memorable choruses, though there is a metallic edge to both the core rhythms and the solos. But the tracks are also littered with significant amounts of synths and electronic textures, which occasionally unite with the guitars to lend an industrial vibe to some of the material—whereas programmed drums and keyboard-based melodies/textures damn near come off as Depeche Mode-esque during tracks such as "Into the Night"!? Sparse appearances of pounding, chunky breakdowns or faster-paced chord progressions more associated with the hardcore roots of the members' backgrounds do present themselves on occasion, so it's a rather diverse EP—bizarre as it may be! But I have to say, questionable imagery/aesthetics aside, you can tell from the lyrics and such that there's a lot more at work here. Whatever the thought process, there are genuine and sincere motives going on behind the scenes, and all of the decisions surrounding this front are obviously intentional, so... keep that in mind. I know a lot of people will turn their noses up at this shit based on the music, which is to be expected, but despite minor hitches along the way I'm actually looking forward to hearing more from these cats. From a songwriting standpoint this is a promising debut, indeed.
Pick one up if you're open-minded enough to agree:
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2.27.2007 | By kitzelDNA
LOVE this release. But you already knew :)
2.27.2007 | By Pim
This is pure genius! The shape of punk to come is what comes to mind, not that it sounds like Refused, but the originality and sheer talent of this band. Sure to go over a lot of people’s heads. A breath of fresh air that hardcore needs. Too bad there’s 10 years between groundbreaking stuff these days… :)
2.28.2007 | By Tom DK
hmm not bad….not great, but, pretty interesting…..oh and Andrew? Wtf?....Fall Out Boy?.....you have some ‘splainin to dooo…
3.1.2007 | By Adrianoso
yeah, and +44 and angels and airwaves too. andrew’s got a dark side! :p
anyways, , i would never have bothered to check this band out because of their shtick have i not heard about them here. offputting to say the least. but this is some seriously good stuff. i’ve downloaded a few other songs (“second life” is killer) to get a bigger picture. even the image now sort of makes sense. will have to cop this.
3.2.2007 | By chris