SevenScars - In God We Rust
1. In God We Rust
2. Burning Preacher Nation
3. The Need To Bleed
4. You Will Rot
5. Turn To Stone
Just a word of warning. The reviewer obviously didnt enjoy this cd much and hey, if we dont like it, wel sure as hell say so. Please check out the band for yourself and make your own desicion. Links at the bottom of the page…
Playing the type of mid-paced, groove-laden, non-committally nihilistic metalcore-by-default favoured by an innumerable number of modern groups, along comes SevenScars fresh out of Cork with their, well, awful debut EP, hilariously (for all the wrong reasons) entitled “In God We Rust”.
It’s evident from a cursory glance at the tracklisting of the band’s most immediate, domineering influence (Track 2 is named Burning Preacher Nation; a rather unsubtle nod to Randy Blythe and co.’s previous moniker?). So for the most part the band follow Lamb Of God’s blueprint quite closely. Rhythm guitarist Kevin Cummins offers crunchy chords and gang vocal wails while Nick Connelly leads with mid-range palm muted leftover Pantera riffs. Drumming in the verses is for the most part simple Black Flag blast beats. There are (oh, thank you so much lads) no solos. And, of course, there are breakdowns. Oh dear Lord, the breakdowns. They’re EVERYWHERE. There haven’t been this many breakdowns in Cork since the petrol crisis.
Over all of this lie the “lyrics” of “vocalist” Paul Flynn. He’s in a way the most surprising part of this outfit, as his voice is never less than completely comprehensible even without a lyric sheet. Unfortunately, the man has plenty to talk about nothing to say, and over the course of 44 minutes you will have to hear him rhyme “hypocrite” with “don’t give a shit” (over and over again), “need” with “bleed” (over and over and over again) and, in Burning Preacher Nation, hear him accuse someone (the somewhat incoherent narrative makes it unclear who exactly) of being a “racist fuck”. Never mind in the title track, in a chorus bound to get the Cobh boys singing along, he croons: “In God we rust, fuck your American dream.”
And before you start, there is of course always a case for arguing that all these four-letter fandangos would be bearable, even enjoyable, if the poor lad had a decent pair of lungs on him. Alas, he does not. Envision a very, very drunk and very, very confused Enda Kenny being asked to deliver his best Phil Anselmo impersonation. Thinking about it? Yes. Exactly.
The only other thing that’s remotely surprising about this EP is the lack of technical two cents’ worth on display. The typical rule with most Irish metal guitarists in the past few years, regardless of genre, has been “pinch harmonize first, ask questions later”, but these boys almost entirely avoid this sort of self-indulgent carry-on. It works in their favour, as whether or not you like their songs they will still have a strong sense of forward momentum without being hindered by solo trade-offs. However, they let themselves down by inheriting Despised Icon’s irritating trick of all the instruments pausing mid-song to allow the guitarist to play the next riff reeeaaaaaaally sloooooooowly.
The one genuine unadulterated high point on show here is the rhythm section of Barry Crean on bass and Aivars Tirums on drums. I was surprised to find on the first track that not only was Crean audible, he also frequently performs the most distinctive (if not only) melody lines on the entire album, and uses a range of different tones depending on the song.
But Tirums really steals the show here, and it seems the band knows it, pushing him almost centre stage in terms of production; he is, in effect, the only genuinely distinctive element this little-band-that-couldn’t has. Rather than drowning everything in walls of blast beats and double bass, he uses everything sparingly and to great effect. Despite the rumbling, ominous tom toms and super-fast snare work reminiscent of Hellhammer from Mayhem’s best work, the drummer he most reminds me of is Stephen Morrisse, as they both share that cool sense of minimalism, Tirums’s particular style merely augmented by his metal influences (curiously, both Morrisse and Tirums have at various points been described as “[human] drum machines”). If the opening track gives you the false impression that this EP will be a stylish, innovative piece of work, it will most likely be due to Tirums’s nervy, militaristic beat during the intro.
Oh, and for sheer comedy value, see the opening of “You Will Rot”. Then get rid of the bloody thing.
Production: 4/5 - It’s blunt and to the point, not unlike the band itself, with Flynn’s vocals unusually low in the mix (thankfully).
Technicality: 3/5 - The EP often works when it’s at its most minimalistic, but Connelly manages to show off every now and again.
Songwriting: 2/5 - You know you’re seriously in trouble when this reviewer has to (twice) look down at his CD player to check he didn’t accidentally stick it on repeat.
Originality: 1/5 - They’re an Irish metalcore band. ‘Nuff said.
Overall Impact: 1/5 - The drumming and bass are flawless, but the guitarists need to find a more distinctive style, develop their songwriting skills and depose of Paul Flynn as fast as possible.
You can check out this band at,
http://www.sevenscars.com
http://www.myspace.com/sevenscarsireland
http://www.bebo.com/sevenscarsireland
Content contributed by Fionn Murray anguished666.bebo.com
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