Emo By Numbers
Being a metaller myself and taking pleasure in roasting any emo cry babies that might cross my path over a blazing fire of Taking Back Sunday CDs, I feel that it is my solemn duty to do the same to this record. The pitiful cries of 20-somethings in dire need of some Vicks vapour rub never fails to grab a hammer and drive woe-laced nails into my skull. However allegiances with the dark side aside, it's safe to say that Sixsecondhero have on their hands a sound and quality EP for their genre that's sure to gain them more fans as time goes on.
Hailing from York the artists formerly known as 'Fadge' over the years have gathered a kind of cult fan base that more than anything puts them in good stead for the future. If out of an audience of 450, you sell 400 copies of your CD then ultimately the days to come are going to be bright. Of their vast amount of influences ranging from Jimmy Eat World to The Who to the legendary Freddie Mercury; it becomes obvious upon listening to this EP who the main contenders are. American kids Taking Back Sunday feature heavily in the sound, especially on opener 'Subtle as a Fucking Bullet'. The typical guitar arrangements are there; fast-paced yet not too heavy, the emotionally charged lyrics voiced by co-vocalists Phil Smith and Johnny Walters (who's also one of two guitarists] are there all leading to a crescendo of noise once the chorus kicks in. You could be forgiven for at times thinking this was a Taking Back Sunday record - the first time I heard 'Subtle...' the band's name were the foremost thing in my head. Although this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As the record continues Sixsecondhero's sound does vary slightly and TBS have a lot of fans and the same should apply to these hopefuls.
Definite highlights of this EP are the tracks 'Inside' and 'Cairo Crimson Centrefold' that showcase what makes this band and what should make them the next big thing. This is a group which sound confident in their abilities and utilise this confidence to produce some prime slices of mouth-watering emo that should have every well dressed, scarf clad boy and girl out there slobbering more than a St Bernard just before supper. The lyrics themselves also have the characteristics of their many contemporaries. Heavily laden with sincerity and creative analogies that all these types of bands seem to be using at the minute, they help create the sombre but hopeful mood that prevails throughout the record. The addition of the solo in 'Shades in Dark Places' alongside the slight use of synths just as the song begins help add some diversity to what could have been a very boring and stale album that could have easily been thrown on the 'oh god not this again' pile.
As I already preached in the first paragraph I'm not the biggest fan of emo but I do like to pretend I know what's good and what's not. Delivering cuts of their crafted sound to an audience that really should sit up and listen, Sixsecondhero are good and do exactly what it says on the tin. Whether they make 'Recent History' or not is up to the fans and them.