Early Grave
So here we have a band from Peterborough “with an average age of just seventeen” and “their whole lives ahead of them” according to their press release. I think that’s just as well too, as they haven’t wasted too much time on this project. There’s still time to forget all about it and move on like it didn’t even happen.
Unfortunately for us though, it is happening. The phrase ‘too many cooks....’ instantly springs to mind. They’ve taken a bit of black metal for the fear factor I presume, thrown in a bit of speedy thrash to keep it from being to dirge like, layered on some punk chanting, melodic singing and finished it all off with some clumsy metal riffs.
So if you hadn’t already guessed, there’s basically too much going on, perhaps because Early Grave do have an average age of seventeen they are also a tad bit excitable as well. I think they might possibly have a little bit of potential but if I were giving them some advice I’d tell them to chill a little I think, focus on the actual songs, pick a style they can play and feel comfortable with and don’t try and squash every single influence into one four minute song. Oh yes, and another thing, would you please stop trying to sound so damn brutal! The most overused word in the ‘how to write a metal review’ book, not because we can’t think of anything better but because every metal band seems to have that one word carved into their skulls, brutality….so what can you say, yes they’re at it again…being brutal.
At the moment I feel the industry is saturated with bands wanting to be as good as everyone else at everything they do. Early Grave just try to do everything that other people do without taking any notice of whether they’re good at it or not and by the way in case you haven’t realised by now, they’re not.
Ok, so if I can offer any positive remarks about Early Grave it’s that they’re young and as yet haven’t seen the errors of their ways. I think perhaps with a bit more guidance and a little more practice the Peterborough boys will hopefully not produce anything that will make me have to stitch my eardrums back together and reach for that fifth Anadin. Sorry lads, come back in a few years when you’ve realised cramming everything into one jar only makes a mess, take a little out and you’ll get it right.