Sons Of Exile - Existence EP.

The Chopmeister extends thanks to the band's lead guitarist Luke for the initial contact and interest in Chopmusic, and also to the band's representative, John, for the copy of the CD. Cheers fellas!

1. My Requiem. Enormous opening riff paves the way for the track to start out as a fast thrasher with modern extreme values. Vocals initially reminded me of Testament legend Chuck Billy before they get progressively more aggressive. The bass is very prominent in the mix and to a degree this works. Good basslines give this track a good underlying groove/pulse. The slower minimalist section works well and is very powerful. The bass then picks things up and a well executed scream leads to a return to the ferocity coupled with quality barked vocals. This track blisters along and is a worthy opener.
2. Hostile. Quiet before the storm subdued guitar and bass intro explodes into brutal riff with another quality scream. This one is a lot more restrained overall, vocals are less extreme and the song has a lot of subtle, yet effective, tempo changes. Don't misunderstand me this is still a heavy track and has an underlying feeling of menace throughout. The groove is there again, another thumbs up.
3. Scream Your Lungs Out For Me. Starts out as a fast thrasher, looking forward to seeing this one live! Should be a pit-starter. Vocals in chorus are more in the punk/hardcore mould. Slower section is potent and the band again develop considerable power and menace. Bass again has a nice bounce. End dragged slightly for me, I would re-work this one fractionally shorter. Then again live, and probably slightly quicker, this negative should be removed. Solid ending.

Overall thoughts are positive. Musicianship is good, the band are tight and the songwriting is good. My real concern regards the production which I feel needs a tweak. Bass is fine, you could argue it's too high in the mix, but I like the bounce and groove this adds to the total sound. Vocals are fine but maybe need slightly more edginess or bite. Guitar work is ok, but could sound punchier and the tone isn't quite right to my ears and I would like to have heard a bit more shredding. Drums are the real problem, sludgy with a thin snare sound, they need to be far crisper. Having said that with the right engineer I'm sure these songs would all work well live and sound suitably vicious. Playing time is 13m 33s and it doesn't feel it which is always a good sign. One for me to keep an eye on, interested to hear how it will work live. All things considered a promising EP.