The unlisted acoustic instrumental introduction had me unsure of what to expect, and oddly enough it was a very misleading piece, because immediately afterwards these guys launch into some relatively fast paced melodic metalcore that has a lot of energy and a great sense of songwriting variety. One minute it's old school hardcore chord progressions and octave chords, then it's some dual guitar interaction not unlike Shai Hulud or their ilk, the next thing you know it's a pummeling mosh break, and then there might be an emo influenced clean break or some singing vocals (rather than the largely present shouting). I really love the arrangements, because in less than three minutes per track they toss around tons of changes that transition perfectly, and the riffing is interesting and creative for the most part. They're just really powerful songs with a moderate dose of technicality and a really tight performance. Sadly the production is pretty weak on this one, so a potentially killer EP suffers big time. The drums are way too crisp and stick out like a sore thumb, the guitar tone is sort of thin and distant, the bass is almost impossible to hear, etc. I don't mind the vocal sound at all, but everything is a little bit limp, the whole mix needs evening out and everything needs some oomph. A shame... with the right sound this EP would fucking crush. The layout looks pretty damn good here. Most of the visuals are black and white photographs of soldiers, but there's some metallic gold ink layered on top in busy, dirty textures that really look slick. The CD itself is one of those deals where a small circle is printed on the face of the disc, and the outer edges are clear (covered in the gold textures) and let the jet-black CD tray show through. The lyrics are sort of typical, dealing with being persistent and taking action, etc. "I've let tomorrow be a good excuse for not changing today, Looking over our lists of to-do's, Routines have gotten in the way, Day in, day out it becomes the same, I'm tired of standing for nothing, And sleepwalking our time away, Leaving our questions unanswered, Or never asked at all..." I'll say this, if these guys can nail a better recording in the future, they'll impress the shit out of me (as long as they stick with what they're doing now, if they bring in too much of the singing and the emo kind of thing they'll kill it). I'll be keeping a close eye on this band, because this is some promising shit right here. I definitely want to hear a full-length from these dudes. Barely over 10 minutes leaves me wanting more... Fuck, I'm depressed that this thing doesn't have a suitable sound, these songs are so damn good.
[Stillborn]
Running time - 11:12, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Bridges and Gaps, With the Wind, and the others as well...]
Stillborn Records - http://www.stillbornrecords.com
