"I guess I'd say that we're an aggressive independent rock and roll band," says [The Break] guitarist Kevin Tunney, "I don't want to confuse people by what that means - it is absolutely influenced by punk rock and has some feel of our hardcore past, but we have grown to the point where we can have some fun with rock and roll!"
Yes. To all of that. Which makes this album difficult for me to review. I have never been into punk rock, I used to like hardcore and now can't stand it, but I do love the rock. So bear with me.
The Break start off this EP with a song ("We Live Without Sleep") that recalls their hardcore glory days and frankly didn't hold my interest past the first 20 seconds. It's a typical hardcore song with heavy guitars and screamy vocals, yet the vocals seem to be drowned out, which I was hoping would just be a one time occurrence.
But their next three songs were the same way. Very quiet vocals and guitars/bass/drum cranked up. The second song ("Alone With You") is, in my humble opinion, a much stronger song. It even gave me the impression that I was listening to a different band. "Alone With You" has a very catchy, full-rock sound to it and I only found myself wishing I could understand his lyrics (from what I can tell on their website, the songwriting and lyrics are very important to them...the lyricist/songwriter John Waverka even goes as far as to say that when "one has people's attention one should make some effort to say something valuable" so now he's got my curiosity piqued).
Onto Let It Burn.
Let It Burn are a band that cannot be classified as simply just a punk band, as there are so many more elements to their music. The band has been described as a perfect cross between 7 Seconds and AC/DC, a comparison that the band itself says couldn't be more true. (taken from the Let It Burn website)
Oh boy. Just one look at my list of favorite bands will tell you that I am NOT the one who should be reviewing this CD. But I do try to be fair, so here I go.
I hear the punk sound loud and clear, especially in the vocals...I believe my exact description of the vocals when I first heard the CD was: classic one pitch screamy-talking vocals. Definitely some people's cup of tea; not mine however.
Very strong beginning to their half of the split. The guitars, bass and drums hit full force to get your attention and there is a better balance of vocals and instrumentation on their songs.
Nothing really stands out on this EP for me though. These are both decent sounding bands for what they do; however after the album is over with, I don't find myself remembering the melodies of any of the songs.
C-
