| Horror Wrestling | 1997 |
| Freaks Of Nature | 1999 |
Drain S.T.H. emerged from Sweden as an all-girl grunge band, and are quite a solid one, with their heavy riffs and mostly moody material that you might think would recall Alice In Chains an awful lot, but they actually have a unique sound of their own, because the harmonies presented here are otherworldly in this type of setting, and the vocals of Maria Sjolhom aren't the tortured Layne Staley or Kurt Cobain variety, but a voice that's more clear-sounding and not so rough-edged. Their debut Horror Wrestling was the first glimpse of their very effective style, and their sophomore release Freaks Of Nature was an even heavier one, with a more industrialized influence apparent.
--Nick Karn
Post your comments about Drain S.T.H.
COMMENTS
who are these girls? they are from sweden. well.. that and abba. sweden has many hard rock bands like the raveonettes. the hives. saharah hotnights. but ooooooooooooooooooooh! those girls if you ask me are pretty hot! picture josie and the pussycats with sludge guitars and torn pants! josie sexes things up! man i outta make out with her not the dumb blondie melody or the stupid slut alexandra! sexy as hell!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The debut from Drain S.T.H. has all the right ingredients for an excellent debut album - nice melodies and hooks are apparent, the riffs are strong and convincing (sometimes very much brutal), like the opener "I Don't Mind", which is a typically solid, direct riff-oriented piece with an odd guitar solo that sets it apart, and the chorus is made more effective on account of the melodies. "Crack The Liar's Smile" starts out with a very nice acoustic part and then settles into a great groove through the verses and the chorus, with a nice vocal performance helping it out, while "Serve The Shame" has arguably the best melody here, a dark, solid riff and an effective lighter feel during the vocal part in the verses. It's even complemented by a fascinating acoustic version of the song as a bonus track (but while my reddish cover version has three of these such tracks, including a harsh closing cover of Motorhead's "Ace Of Spades" and an unreleased song "(So I Will Burn) Alone", the blue album cover does not).
It's the atmosphere of the darker and more intimate material, though, that is this band's greatest asset, as the harmony work carries the unsettling and hopeless vibe conveyed by the music. The best use of the harmonies comes in "Someone" (during the solid "and I feel someone has to die" chorus, and "I know, you know" riff part), a perfectly executed bassline is the highlight of "Smile", the chorus melody and harmony of "Klotera" is a soaring moment, while the last three album cuts "Mind Over Body", "Unforgiving Hours" and "Unreal" all use their trademarks -- haunting guitar, dark, rumbling basslines, and exceptional harmonies and melodies to an outstanding effect. Overall, the results of Horror Wrestling are quite impressive and powerful, especially for a debut, without much in the way of weak spots, which makes for a promising future for this band.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Drain's sophomore effort is more of an expansion of the industrial elements of their sound only hinted at on the debut, as drum machine tinged rhythms and sound effects begin to creep into their sound, and they sometimes do get in the way of things. However, every song here has a somewhat memorable melodic structure to it, the riffs are generally heavier (although a little more predictable in a soft to heavy way), and the haunting vocals still continue to impress, particularly on the slower, emotional pieces like "Right Through You" (the album's highlight, with a haunting guitar line and the most eerie vocals here), "I Wish..." (a more yearning track), and "Black", which also crunches appropriately when it needs to.
Freaks Of Nature's approach is most exemplified on the opening track and lead single "Enter My Mind", which has a crunching chorus and introspective verse, while "Alive" is actually uptempo and quite catchy in the chorus, contrasting its' tortured verses. Also highlighting are "The Bubble Song", which despite its' weird title, is a typical piece for the band, as its' chorus 'all of my life, drained of emotion...' pretty much tells the whole story. The last couple of songs "Get Inside" (uptempo but by no means happy) and the slow grind of "I Will Follow" also work very well. The only really bothersome moment on this pretty consistent effort is in the chorus of "Simon Says", which features a really horrible and cliched rap bit. Otherwise, Freaks Of Nature is well worth owning, even if it doesn't quite reach the high points of the last one.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
Index | Main band/artist reviews page