Roy "Tacomatose" CD
[Initial]
This band features former members of Botch and current members of Harkonen, but do not under any circumstances expect to like this if you like either of those two bands. That is to say, this sounds absolutely nothing like either Botch or Harkonen. Okay, some of the slower, sludgy guitar textures are somewhat along the lines of Harkonen, but that's it. Not that it should sound like those bands, but just don't let the lineup trick you. I don't know what I'd call this. It's not hardcore, it's not emo, and its not really what I'd call indie rock either. There's a lot of blending of clean guitars and distorted guitars, the songs are pretty laidback, the vocals are softly sung (in a pretty limited tonal range), it's melodic and has some underlying heavy rhythms, etc. But I'll be honest... it's boring. Sure, it's unique and I can't compare it to a damn thing, but that doesn't really mean anything because I'm not into this. The singing stinks, and I think that's the downfall. It could be worse, but mediocre music with a lack of energy will be very quickly killed by lackluster vocals any day of the week, and the vocals certainly put that final nail in the coffin in this case. The recording is good. I'll give 'em that. Matt Bayles knows his shit, so of course he got the band a nice sound. It's warm and textured, the mix is dense yet clear, etc. Everything is in its place, the clean guitars are bright, the distorted guitars are thick and nasty, and so on. The layout consists of shades of brown, blue, and black, with lots of drawings of birds and handwritten text. I like the lyrics because they have a message, and they convey that message, but they're not too blunt or simple. "The west simply grew up too soon, Our bodies don't know what to do, With all these boxes, lines, and hoops that we jump through, Just to come home to an unmade bed and primetime, Because maybe Darwin was right, And if he was then the west won't survive, Cancer will claim you well before your prime, If we don't slash our wrists just to feel alive." But musically? I'll pass. I don't know if this is a project sort of thing or what, but not one song leaves an impression on me. It's too monotonous and sounds pretty much the same for nearly 20 minutes. Fans of the members' other bands beware. (4/10)
Running time - 18:18, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: wake me up if anything jumps out at you, because none of the songs pop out for me]
Initial Records - http://www.initialrecords.com

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