Reviews January 2002

EAVES – Demo CD

Eaves is another young band from Rock City Aachen, Germany. First of all, sorry guys that it took me so long to write a review, I’m really sorry! This is not because I might not like the music which is pretty good by the way, I had just so many other things to do. But anyway, here’s the review. Four songs of which one has German lyrics, but honestly, you have to take a look at the lyrics sheet to find out that it’s not English because the vocals are mostly screaming. Sometimes they remind me to Shai Hulud and old Boy Sets Fire which are not the worst bands to be compared with. Even though this is a demo CD the sound is brilliant, so go and support this DIY release. Get in touch with the band through eaves@web.de.

KUNGFU – s/t (CD / Island)

Kungfu is a German four piece and I think this is their second album. I don’t know their debut album, so I was pretty excited what to expect. So after having heard this self titled record I am not quite sure how to describe their sound. Ok, you can find guitars on it, but also some electronic parts and string arrangements. So is it a pop album? Why not, but not in the vein of chart music. Hmm, or is it indie music? Could be, too. Better check it out for yourself to get your own opinion. But be forewarned: The lyrics are in German. Well, I don’t think that this is a negative point, I just wanted to tell you. So, would I buy it if I didn’t already have it? I don’t think so. Not because it is bad, just because the music is not my cup of tea.

MALAKHAI / SHANARA –Split (CD / Incendiary Records)

Three songs from each band. Malakhai hail from the US while Shanara come from Germany. Let’s start with Malakhai first as their songs start this split release off: Metalcore with cool screaming vocals and a fat sound is the first thing that comes to my mind. I don’t want to compare them to other bands, but everyone into hardcore with (lots of) metal influences will love their songs, and so do I. Shanara are next to conquer and their sound is similar to that one of Malakhai. In other words aggressive vocals, double bass attacks and songs that are HEAVY. What else can I say about his split release apart from the fact that the layout is nice and its playing time is about 19 minutes? Right, nothing.

THE PLAN – Only These Movements Remain (CD / Rewika Records)

“Only these movements remain” is the second full length of The Plan from Canada and it reminds me to At The Drive-In or even Fugazi and the whole CD sound at times. That means that the music is rather complex and noisy. This is really not the type of music that I listen to all the time. It’s ok, and I’m pretty sure that lots of people will like it, especially those into the aforementioned bands, but they will never be my favourite band. The CD comes in a nice digipack with a beautiful layout, but you can be glad that you don’t get the info sheet with the CD, because if you read between the lines you will find out that the author seems not to like Jimmy Eat World. Not that this has anything to do with The Plan, it just seemed worth mentioning.

SEVEN STOREY – Dividing By Zero (CD / Deep Elm)

If I remember right my math lessons in school (8 years ago) then dividing by zero is not possible or even forbidden. However, it is not forbidden to listen to the latest album of Seven Storey which were formerly called Seven Storey Mountain and already released an album on Deep Elm in the past under that name. The name has changed, but not the music, at least that’s what I believe. Hmmm, guitar rock? Yeah, I think so. The track “Dress rehearsal” is really great, and the other nine songs are o.k., too. Not the best band on Deep Elm, but far from being lame. Decide for yourself if you want to check them out.

SLOWRIDE – As I Survive The Suicide Bomber (CD / Deep Elm)

Next to Brandtson, Benton Falls and the Appleseed Cast this is probably my favourite band on Deep Elm. The music is more rocking than that of most of Deep Elm’s releases. The 11 songs Slowride’s debut full length are all rocking and with Ed Rose (The Appleseed Cast, The Get Up Kids, Brandtson,…) as producer you can be sure that the sound is as it should be. Catchy melodies and great vocals dominate on this CD that is really fantastic. At the moment it is so damn cold in Germany, but playing this album I want to go out in a t-shirt and drive around on my bike with Slowride as the soundtrack to it. Brilliant!

SUCTION – An Image Of Fragility (MCD / Incendiary)

Don’t be afraid that there are only 6 songs on this MCD because they running time of this release is over 18 minutes long. The five guys from Germany describe their sound as new school hardcore influenced by bands such as Shai Hulud, Reveal, Shoulder, One Kind Down and Boy Sets Fire. I would say that especially the comparison with Shai Hulud is fitting, because even though the music is hard and the vocals are aggressive you can always hear those melodic guitar parts that lots of bands are using these days. I listen to this MCD quite often and you should, too. Like all releases of Incendiary Records “An image of fragility” has a beautiful layout and I strongly recommend this MCD to you.

THAT VERY TIME I SAW… - Observing Life Through A Rose Coloured Glass (CD / Redfield Records)

Some of you might already be familiar with this German five piece because they were on tour with Garrison in the year 2000 when the US boys played in Germany. So I’m pretty sure that you don’t expect them to play black metal, right? More precisely their sound is more in the vein of rocking indie or emo stuff which I like a lot even though it seems that it is forbidden to use the term “emo” in a record review. You will find 7 songs on this CD with a total playing time of over 26 minutes plus a good mixture of rocking as well as more quiet parts. Although this CD was already released in March 2001 it is worth your attention, because it will be re-released on Ignition Records (UK) in the near future. If you don’t want to wait for this then grab the pressing on Redfield Records for your listening pleasure.

V/A – Emotional Outburst Assisted By Technical Supply (CD / Incendiary Records)

Apart from the strange title this compilation is fuckin’ great. It starts off with a killer track by The Hand That Feeds, and I have only one word for this smasher: METAL! 21 more songs follow, and not all of them are as heavy as this one as there are bands featured that are not into this kind of metal sound just like Always Outnumbered, Treadmill, or Sunday Inn. But of course there’s the right stuff for all you metalheads out there with bands like Caliban (another killer), Jane or No Love Lost. Nice layout, mostly unreleased songs and a wide variety of styles from metal(core) to old school to emo on this compilation should raise your attention. Good stuff!