Fire Down Below "s/t" 7"
[Ed Walters]
I guess you could call this a mix of screamo and metalcore? It's musically driving and melodic, but the vocals are layers of scathing high-pitched screams with some hints at singing, and there's a little bit of a chugging sort of heaviness to the music on occasion as well. I tend to really dislike this vocal style, but it's not bothering me here because the songs are really fucking good and the vocals are mixed well. "Wasted Breath" is a lot more dissonant and succinct than the other two songs, but still has some interesting riffing going on with octave chords and slick interaction between the guitar parts and bass runs. "Absent Minded", on the other hand, is the longest and most involved track, immediately memorable with some melodic riffing and dual guitar harmonies (think Iron Maiden gone screamo, if possible) played at a faster tempo than most of what appears in the other two tracks. There are even a few little bits reminiscent of old school hardcore, though this is by far the most metallic of the three compositions. All three tracks are actually quite different from one another, yet still obviously coming from the same angles, which is very cool. The mix is dominated by vocals and guitars, so I might turn up the bass and give a bit more low-end to the drums, but it works. I'm sure the vinyl is adding a little bit of a bite to the high-end tones anyway. Actually, thickening up the guitar tone might not hurt either, since they've got a uniquely heavy style going on that could probably use more crunch as long as they don't lose that clarity. The layout's pretty interesting. The 7" sleeve is printed on matte paper in black and white and has burned paper glued to each side (coated with some form of thin sealant to keep it from flaking off). Inside is a long strip that looks like a photo of the band's practice space, as well as a large booklet (printed in black, white, and red) that includes the lyrics, additional artwork, and other such information. I'm honestly not that big on the lyrics as they don't really do anything for me, but you can't understand a word of the vocals anyway and the songs express enough feeling to make up for the lackluster lyrical content, so... This is pretty cool. Better than I had expected it to be, actually. I'd like to hear more. (6/10)
Running time - 10:00 (approximately), Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: Absent Minded]
Ed Walters Records - http://www.edwaltersrecords.org

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