Cool, here's the second full-length from this unique Canadian outfit and I'm still very much into what they do. It's very hard to categorize. The music definitely has some metallic elements, but it's not too heavy, there are post-hardcore textures and a major emphasis on rhythm structures with a good sense of melody, but it's not overtly melodic either. The closest thing that comes to mind is Four Walls Falling's "Food for Worms" record (which I believe I also used as a reference point in my last review of this band), but this sounds a bit more warm and natural, and it's not as metallic. The vocals and especially the vocal arrangements remind me a lot of "Food for Worms", however, though of course the fact that Che: Chapter 127 has a female vocalist adds a slightly different element there, but just barely. The vocal approaches range from shouting and singing to a hip-hop sort of style, but all are fairly subdued, so nothing feels out of place. And the songwriting is really quite creative, so when combined with the vocals the band really does sound unique compared to most anything else you're gonna hear out there. The basslines play a dominant role and weave in between the drumming and the guitar parts, and that's one of my favorite aspects of the disc. "Civilian" is a bit darker and uses some violin along with the rest of the instrumentation, while "Torches to White Flags" opens with faint singing and clean guitars before getting heavier and trading off between male and female lead vocal verses. "August Spies vs. The Fashionistas" is a bit quirkier and more rocked out in a dissonant manner, which is almost irritating musically, but not so bad. Definitely the weak link as far as continuity, but what can you do? As far as the recording goes, the rhythm section sounds fucking great. The drums are totally natural, the bass is thick but defined and lands right in the heart of everything, the guitar parts are hard panned so that the interaction between instruments has plenty of clarity, and the vocals are just barely in front of the music, so it all works out nicely. I don't think I'd really change anything. It's interesting how thick everything sounds because they tend to go pretty light on the distortion, yet the rhythmic nature of the music really keeps it pretty chunky. Visually things are pretty minimal, with a few simple illustrations in red, and everything else in black and white. Most of the booklet consists of powerful photographs of protest rallies and such, along with the politically charged lyrics in a nice, crisp setup. The lyrics are definitely incendiary, but intelligently posed and certainly a bit above average when it comes to this form of commentary: "The truth is buried with the dead, calling out for justice, Trails of wars and manifest destiny, patriotism as purpose, Monuments to martyrs are these flags around coffins, Wars are like board games, planned by simple minds of thieves, Civilian casualties are the trade-off for legacies of thieves, Bomb into submission the people, The legions line-up at the oil fields, set fire to flames, While servicing their oath to god and country, and killing without shame..." Good stuff. I liked their last disc a little more overall, but they're still one of a kind, and I definitely think they're still on the path to reaching their full potential. I'm always looking forward to their future work.
[G7 Welcoming Committee]
Running time - 28:28, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Treaties for the Thieves, Civilian, The Tubman Doctrine]
G7 Welcoming Committee Records - http://www.g7welcomingcommittee.com
