Stretcher "Heart of Bombs" CD
[self-released]
This is half decent metalcore that could be pretty good if the band had a stronger visual aesthetic going on, because the appearance of this demo gives off the impression that the band doesn't take themselves seriously enough, but I don't get that vibe from the music. Their performances are tight, they've got a strong sound for a demo, and their writing style reminds me of the first V.O.D. record mixed with some of the more straightforward European metalcore of the late-90's. There's a lot of modern groove to the chord progressions (ala early Machine Head, see the title track), but then some discordant chords and note-based metal runs come into play as well, while the vocals are midrange screams that sound pretty damn good. The arrangements rely too heavily on simple grooves for me to really appreciate them, though I do like the constant flurries of drum fills, but more diverse and traditionally metallic songs like "Your Cause" are more effective. This actually sounds better than a lot of the records that I get from labels, so I wouldn't do much to the sound. The guitars are really heavy (bordering on overproduced), the bass is audible, the drums are rigid but dense, and the vocals sound perfect to me. I like the way the vocals are doubled, they pull that off nicely. There's room for cleaning up around the edges, but they're on the right track. Visually I have to say that this thing is a mishmash of thrown together information that comes off as looking rather unprofessional. All of the fonts are pretty weak, the band logo/icon (a pitchfork or something) isn't that hot, the arrangement is really cramped and haphazard, etc. There's a little band bio inside, as well as the lyrics (handwritten on notebook paper, scanned, and pasted over a photo of a practice space or some shit with an Ice Cube poster right next to a Slayer poster - go figure), and the back of the booklet has all of the band's "sponsors" listed under a live photo. I don't know why being "sponsored" by smoke shops or whatever makes a difference, but that's cheesy. I would suggest a less groovy approach that incorporates more tempo changes, and above all a more thought out approach to presenting the band's work. Not bad, but they need development. (5/10)
Running time - 13:27, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: Your Cause]
Stretcher - http://www.stretcher.net

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