Round 3 with Bridge 9, and yet again evidence that the palette within their roster is expanding ever further as a release of this ilk would have been unthinkable in the label’s formative phase. Even more unthinkable would be that the label would even consider releasing a record by a band that has artwork like late 90’s AFI album covers, would they go one step beyond and actually put out a band that sounds like those misers?
I can hear the clicks already.
The answer is yes, this sounds a lot like AFI and of course the progenitor of this kind of sound, the Misfits, I for one though, can’t help but think that if the Beach Boys had decided to play punk rock, then this is what they would have sounded like…just a thought.
Thus Invasion of the Mind, is certainly the most alien sounding release to come from Bridge 9. Even though as stated, their releases have become more and more diverse through the years, to me my mind, nothing has been as outrageously and openly melodic as this. For 27 minutes, there are no break downs, no 2 step parts, no call outs, in short, none of the set elements that are within the paradigms of the splintered hardcore sounds.
Rather its chock full of buzzing melodies, harmonised backings and smatterings of ethereal keys forming a cohesive, if somewhat overly sugary synthesis of elements that are, if anything, duly repressed by other bands. Energy, amplify these, and make them their strengths, rarely venturing to up the testosterone factor, and when they do, this comes in the form of vocalist Tank (or someone else, not listed in the album credits), unleash some potent screeches such as on ‘The Silence,’ and ‘Brickstone.’
To be honest ‘Invasion of the mind,’ is not a record that I personally will return to very often, as at times, those harmonised vocals just get a little too much and the lack of bite overall makes the impact somewhat impotent. However, that’s not to say that there isn’t a bright future for Energy, there certainly is, they just must refrain from the lure and temptation of MTV, female teenage fans and making ballads their focal point and focus on more high energy compositions with a bit more bite and a bit less harmonising, at least, for this scribe.
[Visit the band's website]Find more articles with 2008, Benjamin DeBlasi, Bridge Nine Records, Energy, Review
Comments
Leave a Reply
Dead Hearts played there farewell show with these guys. i digged the name, there musics alright, good stuff indeed
on Oct 19th, 2008 at 14:35A few months back I was at Lids in Kingston, MA purchasing a new hat and heard what I thought was H2O gone horribly wrong. I asked the scenester chick behind the counter if this was in fact newer H2O and she said that it was Energy. So, after revisiting these songs a few months later on myspace, I still feel exactly the same about this band. Energy is a poorman’s H2O and that’s not really saying much. No originality and more importantly the vocals at times aren’t even in key. Kind of the last thing you need when you’re in a band of this ilk is to have a singer that’s tone deaf. People should check out VERSE “Agression”.
on Oct 19th, 2008 at 18:57Deepsend, good points (real name please, feel kind of silly referring to you as Deepsend :)) there are a lot better records out there, Verse being one, and a ton of better releases by B9 for sure.
Now a slight deviation, when can we expect the new Antagony and Fleshrot cds?
on Oct 20th, 2008 at 14:31Antagony and Fleshrot aren’t done with writing yet. Both were originally slated for January, but it’s doubtful at this point that they will be out in January.
Next up is Dawn of Demise “Lacerated” MCD. This will most likely be our last release of 2008. The street date will be sometime in late January, but we should have copies sometime in November.
We have a couple of amazing new signings to report hopefully by the end of October/early November. Just waiting on contracts before announcing these. You won’t be disappointed I promise!
on Oct 20th, 2008 at 16:33Man, cannot wait.
on Oct 21st, 2008 at 15:03