I didn't know what to expect from this band, but after around four minutes of laidback clean guitars and instrumentation (including an instrumental intro), they open up into some melodic yet caustic material that has a more structured and controlled sort of "screamo" thing going on. Not totally, though. It's definitely darker and a bit more somber, and therefore more powerful. The bulk of these songs are based around instrumental passages that sort of ebb and flow back and forth, and distortion isn't really too prominent either. There are some slower and more metallic rhythms with an almost sludgy side (see some of the dirge-y harmonies in "Act I"), and the introductory passage of "Act II" is one of the darker and more emotional clean breaks, making excellent use of lulling repetition. The harsher areas are still well performed, though. The faster and more discordant chords never lose their form or get sloppy, and the tempos stay in an average midrange pace without focusing on any intense speeds. I think the recording is great for what they're doing, too. Of course it has a good deal of ruggedness involved, but it fits their style, and in no way is it problematic. You can hear each instrument, the mix keeps things tightly knit and fairly even in the levels, and so on. Plus, the packaging here is excellent for a handmade D.I.Y. effort. The CD-R is one of those deals that looks like vinyl (complete with textured grooves on the top surface) and comes in a chipboard sleeve with some rad looking spraypainted stencil artwork. Inside are some stamped images and a lyric insert, which contains the odd, brief content: "Like a rabbit getting hit by a big white car driving too fast on a street out front a brown house with no one to notice except a boy with a languished ego snap." The demo's limited to 96 hand-numbered copies, so check it out if you're interested. I'm intrigued and curious about hearing more.
[self-released]
Running time - 14:27, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: all three are cool by me]
Pack of Vipers - http://www.hxcmp3.com/bands/8328/
