Play Dead EP
With such a superb moniker as The Woe Betides you would expect more from Grundy le Zimbra and The Late Simon Mastrantone. Their Play Dead EP opens with ‘Boredom Is The Killer’ and there is little else to report than a few handclaps, reverberating guitar strums and a lingering mediocre voice. Evidently, boredom does not just appear in the title but runs throughout the track.
The EP recovers with ‘Under The Sand’; which merely hints at their grunge upbringings with dark melodic undertones lifted by compelling vocals. Proceedings now take on a more sinister twist, in fact; imagine The Earlies trying to cover Queens Of The Stone Age. A bizarre combination but one met in ‘The Road To The Cemetery’, which becomes even more macabre than its predecessor with prominent drums and a disturbing duet. Not to mention the slightly worrying recounts of stalking featured in the lyrics. Final track ‘Your Fists, Your Love’ decisively shows that the two have grown some balls judging by the crunching riffs and supremely arrogant vocals. Woe betide how dark their next EP can end up.