Full Court Press "Live Life Large" CD
[Gangstyle]
This Belgian act is constantly referred to as "the European E.Town Concrete", and while I don't find that classification justified, I can see why it's made. The main vocal delivery here consists of aggressive shouts that definitely sound very similar to early E.Town Concrete, and there are some minor hip-hop influences at times as well, but that's pretty much it. The actual songs don't really bear much of a resemblance to E.Town at all, nor do the lyrics or most of the vocal arrangements, and the rap influences are much, much more subtle here. For the most part it's a blend of metal and hardcore with a good sense of melody and memorable writing tactics, often using dynamic shifts between heavy and clean textures as well as faster and slower tempos. I'm really digging this. Sure, it's not 100% original, but that's its only real fault (and a minor one at that). I've been spinning this thing all the time since I got it, and I never get tired of it, which is very rare for me. I definitely think these guys are heading towards something a bit more original with powerfully catchy tracks like "Lesson Learned" and "All That Remains" (fucking incredible), and especially "Turn the Page" - a "ballad" that even features some amazing female singing during the chorus. The production is pretty damn good. The drums are slightly rigid but they're kept in check by the thick low-end tones of the mix, and the bass presence is awesome because the basslines run all over the place in between the guitars and the drums. It still needs a little something, I can't quite place what, but I'm not bothered by the sound at all. I think it needs a little bit more overall clarity and fullness, but I'm sure that's something they're already considering for future efforts. The layout consists mostly of basketball imagery that goes along with the band name. There's an icon of a basketball layered and repeated throughout many of the pages, but there are also a lot of quality band photos, and the presentation is actually very crisp. Lyrically the topics have a little bit of a hip-hop flavor to the arrangements and deal strictly with personal issues, and some of the passages are actually pretty long compared to most bands. " You were never there, you would never care about me. How could I ever believe a word you say? Every lie you said had to cover up the next, don't you know I know that? To this day you don't have a clue what I stand for. Always got kicked in the dirt and you never gave a fuck about how much it hurt. What I learned is you never get what you deserve. Never got a chance to prove what I was worth, never got a chance to prove myself. Every mistake I make is a lesson learned..." A lot of people won't like this because of their own personal tastes, but if you're into this kind of shit this is an essential record, and definitely a band to watch out for in the future. I can't fucking believe more people in the US don't know about these guys, because they should be pretty fuckin' well known if you ask me. (8/10)
Running time - 45:50, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Slam, Broken, Lesson Learned, All That Remains]
Gangstyle Records - http://www.gangstylerecords.com

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