SCAR MY EYES - EP review added 27th May 2009
Album Review: This Machine EP (2009)
For fans of: Metalcore... and hints of old and new
You can tell what sort of music this UK band are going to play just by seeing their name. Scar My Eyes does not bring images of flowery dresses, harps and fluffy kittens to mind. The name says brutal and, in the most part, the music does too.
The band consists of Mark Lewis (vocals), Neil Prenty (guitars), Simon Edwards (bass) and Alex Chapman (drums) and their sound and influences vary considerably as the album progresses. It's not to say that Scar My Eyes don't have their own vibe going on too. They have a wonderfully melodic veneer and plenty of Zakk Wylde guitar flourishes to pad out their production. There is a highly musical feel to the screams and riffery that's at odds with the sheer armageddon-ness of it all.
The instrumental intro has a Middle Eastern tinge and a slow methodical feel. First full song 'The Game (Think About It)' bursts onto the scene like a mad thing on nitro. The majority of the track sounds spectacularly like the technocentric metal of Lamb Of God. The compositions, the military precision of the multi-timed drum beats and the guttural vocalising are all highly combat ready, although a few sweet-sounding interludes restrict the aural devastation to furious pockets rather than a flat-out warzone.
'Through The K-Hole' is incredibly classic-Sepultura-like in it's opening moments. The tribal rhythms have South America tattooed all over them. The body of the track is a technical masterpiece, and the Sepultura references creep in again and again as the song progresses. The track still boasts plenty of originality, but the influences are undeniably worn on the sleeve.
Disposition sounds like an ultra violent version of Canada's Harem Scarem. This is soft and squishy AOR played by rock hard metallers with a bone to pick with quietness. The rhythms are novel for a thrashy death metal track but add a real interest to the record. Final normal track 'Hope In Silence' again sounds familiar but it's hard to know why. Whatever, it's a well-judged track with a fine balance of speedy breakdowns and slower, cleaner elements. It's probably closest in style to Killswitch Engage, but only in structure, not sound.
Scar My Eyes are a band with obvious influences, but their influences come from far and wide. They also do a good job of adding their own ideas to the mix. The end result is sometimes derivative, sometimes so butt-smackingly new you won't know what's hit you. This is a band with a real chance of producing something amazing somewhere down the line. They aren't quite there yet but they ain't bloody far off.
Check out... The influences.
Track List:
1. This Machine...
2. The Game (Think About It)
3. Through The K-Hole
4. Disposition
5. Hope In Silence
6. This Machine... (reprise)
Label: Transcend Media Group
Artist's websites: MySpace
