Review - Downtime 'Break Him' EP
If you’re familiar with names like King Pest, Tutti Partze, Greg Brady Overdrive or Toe to Toe you may already know what to expect from Sydney dynamos Downtime. With the number of bands performing what is referred to as extreme music today (and that term encompasses anything from Punk to Thrash and Death) it is refreshing to find a band that does it all, and more, with a little less extremity but a little more success.
Being included in the Big Day Out and Alternative Nation
gigs, as well as the L7
and Channel
Zero supports, Downtime
have finally come out with an EP “Break
Him” on Messiah Complex Records through Phantom and mds.
The release was scheduled for the Channel
Zero tour but there were artwork delays. The wait, however, was
worth it!
Six tracks are what your money gets with “Break Him,” the title being the lead track. Fairly radio friendly, it should get rotation on more adventurous stations and programmes. I Can See leaps out at you almost immediately after that with great mosh/stage diving potential for just over two minutes. And just when you thought you’d get a short break between songs Restless leaps into your face – I think the death-growl would work better here… See the Smell reminds me of This Thing’s “Preparing for Winter” as far as the hook goes, and to close, Falling Down is the biggest surprise of the whole record – an acoustic song with tuneful vocals, clean guitar work and a tambourine. Personally I was waiting for the amps to kick in the whole way through!
Ross Clelland of The
Drum Media was prompted to suggest that this was the “release of the year”
and given the choice available in the genre I’d have to agree. Downtime’s
“Break Him” gets ««««
and a “well done guys!”