Unsigned: SCREWFACE
Come With
Us
Coming wrapped in a plain black
cover with just the band name and cd title adorning the front, �Come With Us� is
a big chunk of NY hardcore/funk/metal. The overall look of the cd is very
professional, giving the impression of a band that will go the extra mile to get
noticed.
First track �Crusher� kicks off
with a fairground-esque sample before the guitar starts thrashing. It�s a
rocking affair with jerky stop-start guitars along the same lines as Prong.
Definitely a good start; very infectious, with one of those metal beats that
make it almost impossible not to nod along too. �Trip�, the second track, is a
slight let down in comparison. Don�t get me wrong, it still rocks - but it�s
slightly mellower and without any real�.nads, and if you�re going to play
hardcore metal stuff nads is what you want. The guitar solo doesn�t do the song
any favours, sounding over-indulgent and thinning the sound out.
Now the third track, the title
track, I like. I like it a lot. Starts with one of those bass lines that are so
fast individual notes become impossible to pick out and then the off beat guitar
really adds a whole different edge to the sound. This is definitely more like
it. A new twist to the tired old metal formula. A ska groove interspersed with
an anthemic metal chorus. A sure-fire live winner. I was starting to get
concerned that the funk as promised in the biog would turn out to be the playing
of bass lines really, really quickly. But lo and behold, �Upside Down� gets all
chilli peppery! Another nice bouncy live winner with guitar chops straight out
of Frusciante�s personal scrapbook. Definitely funky with tons of energy.
Sometimes you have to slow down to make the fast bits hit with a bit more impact
and the tactic works well on this.
The cd ends with more breakneck
speed bass playing and a song about the millennium. The song itself is not too
bad - a little predictable, maybe, but dating a track like that I can never see
working. It�s not like there haven�t been a million or so songs by virtually
everyone else voicing there concerns over what in effect is just another year,
albeit with more 0�s at the end then normal.
My opinion? If you are going to
do a metal based band you need to be original. The genre has a massive history
and almost all conceivable avenues have been explored, and unless you�re one of
those crotch-grabbing pretty boy MTV friendly nu-metal acts you might find it
hard to get noticed. Screwface attempts a certain amount of originality but all
too often tend to head toward safer ground. Ground we have all heard before. The
quality of the production and musicianship on �Come With Us� is unquestionable
and there are some really good moments that serve only to prove quite what could
be achieved if they were a bit more adventurous with the song writing. Having
said all that I would put my granny�s favourite set of false teeth on Screwface
being a blinding live act, where the energy of the songs can properly be
appreciated. In a style of music where originality is king Screwface have all
the ability, power and know-how but not too much that makes them stand out from
the already fit to bursting metal box.
Huxley
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