I can dig this. I guess you'd call it harder edged emo/indie rock or whatever you want to tag it, but that's what it sounds like to me. It's melodic and rocked out, there's a good mix of energetic distorted chord progressions and melodies with clean breaks and a driving rhythm section, the vocals are generally straight singing with some killer harmonies and the occasional yell, etc. Now and then they'll bust out a heavier riff that's more note based, maybe a little hammer-on/pull-off deal, so I guess you could stretch it by saying there's a hint of metal being tossed around, but this isn't particularly metallic or what I'd call truly aggressive by any means. "Lyra" has more of a post-hardcore deal happening with some of the chord layering and rhythms as well, so it's not a one-sided effort, granted some of the songs do sort of sound similar to one another. The production is pretty good. The drums sound awesome, I can hear the bass back there, the guitars are clear and have a good texture to 'em without being too heavy or too weak, and the vocals fit in alright. If I could wave my magic wand I might give the bass more definition and brighten up the vocals a smidge, but there's no real need to change anything. I like the layout. Everything is totally consistent - the colors, the imagery, the textures, the handwritten text, etc. The text can be hard on the eyes, but the way it looks outweighs that by far. I don't mind the content at all, it seems pretty standard, but the delivery is abstract enough to keep it interesting. "The peace of mind that comes from this unbearable routine is all but all encompassing and each second we waste here is a second toward dying in the smothering grasp of complacency and all in all we've fallen to blindly placed security..." I'm expecting big things from this band. As far as this EP is concerned, it's really good, but I'd like the songs to be a bit more catchy or memorable overall. "Lyra" is a definite indicator of what these guys are capable of, and I think they could blow me away in the future.
[Anxiety]
Running time - 18:44, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Lyra, Process of Breaking Pt. 1]
Salt the Earth - http://www.salttheearth.com
