These guys hail from The Netherlands and for some reason had me expecting old school hardcore, but instead this is heavily melodic material that's more pop punk than anything, though of course there are some melodic hardcore trappings as well. It's nothing new, but it's not so bad. Expect roaming basslines, energetic picking patterns and boppy chord progressions, melodic lead lines accenting the rhythms, and vocals that are kind of delivered in a not-quite-singing tone. I honestly think the vocals are the weak link, as the music is pretty typical pop punk kind of stuff - simple and catchy - but the vocals seem to lack energy and range, so they're a little one-sided. Were he able to actually sing a bit more forcefully and add in some harmonies it could definitely make a huge difference. The only other minor complaint I have is that the songs can be slightly long. A lot of times a simple, catchy tune doesn't need to run on for four minutes, but... that's no big deal. "Tower Crane Towers" is nice and speedy with plenty of octave chords, and "The Last Anthem" gets a little catchier and faster as well, leading into an unlisted cover of Down by Law's "Independence Day". Sure, this is a pretty straightforward disc without much variety at all, but... that's gonna be true of most any band playing this style. I'm basically fine with the recording. The mix is nice and even, the tones don't bother me, etc. Like the "singing" itself I think the vocal recording is a little lacking in color, but the bass tone sounds pretty damn good, and the guitars and drums are very suitable for this style as well. Visually the layout's alright, with some black and white band photos and repeating images of sketchy figure illustrations over a brownish background. It's a little bland and looks sort of dated, but it's tolerable. The lyrics cover some pretty typical topics like believing in yourself and trying to remain positive, relationships, standing by your friends, etc. There's also a brief snippet of text attempting to make a stand against divisions within the scene and stuff, some of which gets a little sappy, but... not so bad. This is okay. Somewhat mediocre, but okay. I like this kind of stuff, and the style of pop punk that these dudes play is definitely the stronger variety that's not really cheesy and immature, but I think they need to work a little harder to really get the job done. I think a stronger vocal performance would do the trick though, definitely. They're getting close.
[Redemption]
Running time - 27:22, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Tower Crane Towers, The Last Anthem]
Superhero - http://www.superhero-nl.com
