Artist: Slaves to Gravity
Title: Underwaterouterspace
Genre: Hard Rock
Release Date: 15th April 2011
Label: Steamhammer / SPV
Album Review
SLAVES TO GRAVITY are a hard rock band that perform mainstream styled rock that is melodic and edged with pop, but still very catchy and rough to enjoy by fans that range from DESTROPHY to FOO FIGHTERS. ‘Underwaterouterspace’ is full of infectious tunes, each focusing on a very upbeat sound. Rather than succumb to the usual trend of starting out with two hard tracks, then mellowing out with a soft single, and then a few more hard ones before a soft one and then a heavy closer, SLAVES keep their energy up throughout the whole album. Some tracks hit hard with a catchy pop sound to the guitars sounding gritty with the vocals very cleanly produced amongst the backing chorus shouts such as on ‘Unknown’.
Other tracks like ‘Good Advice’ just completely hit the ground and take off running, going more for a hard rock sound along the lines of AUDIOSLAVE or ALICE IN CHAINS. ‘Silence Now’ tends to get a bit repetitive, but offers a slow, almost blues influenced style that is highly melodic while not being too romantically cheesy or a carbon copy of something like NICKELBACK to simply get on the radio. The only real soft song is ‘This Time It’s Terminal’ which features some keyboard/ piano sounds and an extremely mellifluous harmony between the guitar’s individual strings and the vocals. Some could even argue there is a bit of COLDPLAY influence here, but the vocals near the end are much more haunting and effective compared to the reference, which tends to sound a bit whiny and unsure of whether to be depressed or happy. With SLAVES, their sound is very constant.
Altogether ‘Underwaterouterspace’ is a very diverse ride and a ton of fun for those into the mainstream rock sound. This is not their debut album- it would be amazing if it was- but it is certainly an improvement from their debut while still retaining their original sound; it seems much more polished here. SLAVES are currently on tour with PAPA ROACH so they seem to have found their perfect niche as far as being grouped with other musicians who sound similar, or perform a similar genre. Thankfully, SLAVES refrain from being too much of a copycat band and strive for their own sound, which is much appreciated by old fans and new listeners who are seeking something different, yet extremely accessible.
Tracklist
01. Good Advice (03:27)
02. Honesty (03:08)
03. She's Got Big Plans (04:14)
04. Unknown (02:39)
05. Dumb (03:10)
06. Misery Pills (04:28)
07. Silence Now (03:53)
08. Youth Serrated (04:43)
09. Lily Liver (05:49)
10. Last Ignition (03:37)
11. This Time It's Terminal (04:23)
12. Negative Pose (bonus) (03:49)
Line-up
Mark Verney - Lead Guitars
Tommy Gleeson - Vocal / Guitar
Toshi Ogawa – Bass
Website
http://www.slavestogravity.com/
Cover Picture
Rating
Sound: 8
Music: 8
Total: 8 / 10
Comments powered by CComment