CD Review: Torpedoes - Dark Times

Written by Gema Bate Wednesday, 16 November 2011 08:59

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Artist: Torpedoes
Title: Dark Times
Genre: Post Punk
Release Date: 31st October 2011
Label: Zip Records / Mouthy Records

Album Review

A band from the bottom of the British Isle release their latest album with Zip Records US and Mouthy Records UK; an album that oozes the feeling of ego, love and a wild stage presence. With a hometown show in Portsmouth to launch the album in September, the band seem to be hitting the big times while still managing to stay friends to the little guy by blogging their thoughts and feelings all over MySpace. The record opens to the sound of horns, strings, piano, drums and cymbals building up like a march to an explosion into the first track 'Exit Existence'. The vocal line is simple but the strained sound produces a dimension that the instruments would not be able to create. The second track is different to this. 'Love You When You're Dead' is really all about the music. The intervals between singing and slithering behind the vocals show how technical and well-working the band is together and it creates an exciting sound. 'Escape' is the fourth track on the album and easily slips into the Post Punk genre with it's fast tempo, sweeping guitar riff, screaming vocals, and leaves little uncovered in the style. This feeling is then interrupted with a sudden stop and sudden entrance into serene pan pipes.

'Eastern Eyes' gives a classic rock feel once you get past the introduction with the vocal lines matching the guitar riff throughout the verses on the track. As we get further along the album, I had to stop at one particular track several times; a track that really surpasses the others. 'Enough's Enough' is a piece that has been written with more wisdom in their musical backing than in the other tracks, but with the same short lined lyrics is maintains it style and fits in with the previous tracks. Keeping up the differences between tracks the last one 'Mosquitoess' banishes the distortion in favour for a couple of acoustic guitars, and the vocals are given longer sentences. Towards the end of the track the band's well known musical elements seep back in creating a beautiful contrast and is definitely one of the favoured ones written on this record. Overall, I do believe with the attitude from the Punk style singing it shrouds the band in an ego that I don't think they withhold. This is a go thing. They are not disappointing at all, they remain their own creation and that is what is best about the record.


Tracklist

01. Exit Existence
02. Love You When You're Dead
03. Kanada
04. Escape
05. Eastern Eye
06. Jesusphobia
07. Tourniquet
08. Remembrance Day
09. Enough's Enough
10. Basement Jack
11. Mosquitoess


Line-up

Ray Fagan
Martin Woolf
Ben Prior
Martin Cook


Website

www.torpedoesband.com


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 6
Sound: 4
Total: 5 / 10