Spinning Heads "Change the Game" CD
[Radar Swarm]
Here's the debut full-length from this French act, and in the Radar Swarm tradition this material is chock full of burly rhythmic fits of chunky distortion and caustic guitar textures fronted by vicious shouting vocals. The songs tend to be midpaced and streamlined as far as total length and structure, using repetition effectively and throwing in a few hints at odd time signatures, light melody, etc. They're definitely comparable to Knut and several other Swiss acts of that nature, not to mention their labelmates and fellow countrymen Tantrum on some level, and I'm really liking this. "Words Can't Explain" is a bit slower and more persistently paced, using more open dissonant riffing, while "Epitaph" winds around with some noisy and acerbic playing and chunkier chord progressions that almost bring to mind early Helmet; and "Roll the World" blends quirky and angular indie style riffs (though still ultra aggressive) with subtle melody and an unusual writing approach that stands apart from the other material. The pull-off riffing in "Japan" is a little more typical, or at least less interesting/powerful since as a whole this isn't an entirely original release per se, however they do spice things up with subtle variety to keep it moving along. For example, within this same song they throw in loosely sung backup vocals (very effective) and sludgy chords that have a strange rock feel, making up for the tedium of all the pull-off runs. The same goes for the brief "False Confession", which blends that repetitive style of pull-off playing with some great midpaced chord progressions while allowing the vocals to get a little crazier. I do think that generic kind of stuff is a minor weakness within these compositions, even though the band handles it well, so I think it they steer farther away from that their songs will become increasingly forceful. As one might expect the recording is pretty damn effective. Everything is nice and natural with a very clear and textured mix that lets each instrument play a role. The vocals are mixed perfectly in against the music, the drums are warm and balanced, etc. My only suggestions would be to turn the bass up to add a little more of a thundering presence to the rhythms, and some of the layered guitar parts lean out front and sound slightly thin, so... there's just a bit of room for some added heaviness in there - and were they to take advantage of that, they'd truly destroy. The layout uses minimal text (no lyrics) but keeps a consistent color scheme and imagery with photos of strange landscapes layered against flat textures over top for a dimensional and abstract effect that all looks really fuckin' nice. For those interested, this release is available as a limited edition clear vinyl LP from Sedition Records for a great low price of just $7. The LP sleeve looks killer just like the CD and includes a xeroxed interview with the band inside. This is good stuff. Seeing as it's their debut I'll be expecting bigger and better things to come, but fans of what was once known as "the Hydra Head sound" would be advised to keep an eye on these guys. "Words Can't Explain" is the definite winner of this disc, along with the darker and more direct "Addiction", so I'd love to see those angles explored further. (7/10)
Running time - 28:19, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Put One's Finger on Sore, Words Can't Explain, Roll the World, Addiction]
Radar Swarm - http://www.radarswarm.com

This review has been displayed 1662 times.