Ballast "Sound Asleep" CD
[Profane Existence]
Interesting work from this Canadian act. I didn't know what to expect at all, but what they deliver is a rather intriguing blend of hardcore/punk influences that ends up sounding fairly creative despite some obvious influential building blocks in place. The riffs contain a lot of layering between thick basslines and interwoven dual guitar parts that very rarely double one another, so when you take into account all of the layering and tradeoffs that are also going on between the male and female vocalists there's definitely a lot of activity crammed into average song lengths of around three minutes apiece. You'll get equal parts fast and rather traditional hardcore/punk, midpaced breaks that are a little heavier (though not particularly metallic), twisted dissonant chord phrasings and guitar textures, and a few more openly melodic influences that tend to offer a darker atmosphere. The male vocals stick to raspy shouts, while the female lead vocals are much more diverse and cover all sorts of ground from a midrange snarl to some really nice singing. I'm torn on the recording, though. On one hand I love the fact that the guitars aren't very heavily distorted at all, as that's a part of what makes the band sound so different from the norm - even during the straightforward chord progressions. It gives the bass a lot more breathing room and offers an overall open and jangly sort of edge to the playing that, dare I say, kind of has an indie lean to it (though stylistically this material has little to nothing in common with such approaches). However, it also deadens some of the impact between the dynamic shifts, because you almost want the louder moments to be louder and the heavier picking patterns to be heavier. So... were they able to achieve some sort of added aggression in that department that would still retain the present openness, I really think it would benefit them greatly. The sound is also pretty raw, definitely possessing a live sort of bite to it, but I don't mind that in the least. The mix is incredibly well balanced and I think the dirtiness works in their favor, so... I actually respect and appreciate the aesthetic they achieve in that regard, I'd just like to hear the guitars given a little extra kick in the ass. The vocal performance is really damn solid here though, and the songwriting is significantly more creative than most of this style that crosses my path, which is certainly admirable. I wouldn't call the material overly technical or intricate, but everything is indeed more involved than your average band coming from this general scene. "Louder than Words" is a great leadoff track with a slow build that emphasizes the rhythm section and segues into a discordant set of guitar parts and lots of vocal variation; and "Unnoticed by Time" is the most epic track that has a superb vocal performance using a really emotional delivery and lots of cool backing riffs that stray from relying on literal repetition. "Day by Day" then opens with clean guitars and ends up launching into one of the more memorable and energetic selections, complete with some nice vocal harmonies and vocal arrangements; with "Tomorrow" taking a similarly sinister road at the start but using more of a pounding rhythm section dominance and a well harmonized instrumental intro that also gives way to a faster and more keyed up tempo. Then there's the two-minute "But After the Gig (Reprise)" that has more of a rocked out punk vibe and drives the point home in a more straightforward manner than anything else herein. The layout uses photos of birds and dingy or decaying cityscapes and includes all of the lyrics. A lot of the topics are the usual fare, from greed to sexism and such, but the approach is usually a lot stronger than average. Sometimes things get a little blatant without necessarily getting to the point of being over the top (see "Lorena Bobbit"), but a lot of the content is a little more creative in its use of taking a personal spin to socio-political commentary (with a few songs more rooted in solely personal issues): "Everyone is generous with their disease, Greed, flashing teeth, can't control the need, Look all around you, it's all you see, It's so hard to love your enemy when it's so easy to hate your neighbor, The days are getting shorter and something is wrong..." There's a lot of cool shit happening here. It's just a little rough around the edges, so I'm not completely floored, but I feel very strongly that this band has a lot of special elements in place that should yield some amazing output in the future if they keep at it. Very nice. Look into this one... (7/10)
Running time - 30:10, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Unnoticed by Time, Day by Day, Tomorrow, Resign Yourself]
Profane Existence - http://www.profaneexistence.com

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