Nu Metal Chaff
It sounds from the outset that Enemo J have missed the boat. Their new album 'The Angels Will Return For Us' sounds like the left over chaff from the Nu-metal invasion. With a couple of nu-metal acts still managing to keep their heads above water, I could say Enemo J have not only just missed the boat but are on the quay-side, with their luggage, waving to Dry Kill Logic and American Headcharge as the vessel slowly leaves the docks.
I was surprised to find Enemo J hailed from England and not from across the Atlantic, which their image and style of music suggests. (Never judge a book by its cover as they say) I think it's the American radio style introduction, followed by some American style nu-metal shenanigans that threw me.
The band have a couple of half decent ideas, but that's the big problem, they're only HALF decent. Album opener 'Genetic Hatred' is a powerful track, and the change in tempo after a minute and a half is quite clever. The song is the usual shout-a-thon, yet Craig has a respectable growl which makes the humdrum ideas a little more palatable. 'Politically White's' Korn-esque start, leads onto a perfect jump jump mosh mosh tempo, and by the third track 'Face to Faced,' it's easy to figure out that the mosh melee concept is the only trick Enemo J have at their disposal. After being bludgeoned by face tearing vocals and beefed up guitars, 'Paths' promises to offer something different with its interesting clean start, but the idea is shattered when the mosh jump jump mosh idea comes in again to spoil it.
This style of writing is very effective in the live environment and perhaps a tribute to their battle of bands success, however when the musical movement that epitomised the idea waned and finally crumbled, it should have been up to young bands such as Enemo J to ask themselves, 'what can we do that will have a similar effect but sounds slightly different?' It feels like they wanted to make a lot of brutal noise rather than stretch themselves musically. There is no doubt that the crashing opening ideas from such cuts as 'Last Children of History' and 'Sickle,' are head noddingly catchy but there's not enough left in the song to keep you hooked for the whole two to three minutes. There's little in the way of melody or solos and by the time you've reached 'Dread' the whole experience starts to feel stale, dated and, to use that infamous phrase, 'by the numbers.'
On initial listen it felt 'The Angels Will Return For Us' sounded like one song written twelve times, and even after numerous spins, it STILL sounded like one song written twelve times. The constant chord driven riffs, the one mosh pit melee idea, eerily similar drum patterns and monotone vocal roaring do little to suggest they were ever going to break out into something new. Even though other British hopefuls Bullet for my Valentine leave me cold, at least they're not hanging onto a dying form of music, and in this fickle industry I can only plead with Enemo J to come up with something fresh otherwise they may find themselves rooted to the bottom of the pile. Rather than Enemo J leaping aboard a catamaran to catch up with the nu-metal boat, I hope they'll be first to board another ship bound to a different island altogether, let's pray they do it soon.