The Devil You Know |EMI, 1997, +++ and a half|
1. Surefire (Never Enough), 2. Sparkle and Shine, 3. Deeper, 4. Hollowman, 5. Home, 6. The Devil You Know, 7. All That You Are (X3), 8. Burnt, 9. Haven't Gone Away, 10. Elegant, 11. Razorblades and Bandaides
After being bashed and hailed for being textbook industrial rock, Canada's own Econoline Crush reappears with their second album, The Devil You Know. The sophomore effort isn't textbook, but it does provide an experiment vibe.
Throughout the album, you'll notice electronic elements within the songs. More electronic beeps, scratches, and other good stuff. The electronic rock style is very dominant within the album, but the toll is taken when it comes to the heaviness. Unlike Affliction (the band's first album), the angry guitar riffs simply make cameos. Instead, the guitars are blended in to fit vocalist Trevor Hurst's melodic vocal style more reasonably. "Home", the lead single off the album, proves that point. Even though guitar riffs pop up now and then throughout the song (like I said before, cameo appearances), the instrument is more fitted in harmony to Hurst's vocals. At times, this is good, such as "Home." But other times, it seems that songs are lacking the noticeable guitar riff.
It's also noticeable that Econoline Crush has taken a more pop rock approach to some of their songs. "All That You Are (X3)" is melodic and it's simply a good song. The band recreates what made late 1990s rock so popular: Being "catchy."
Other songs such as "Deeper" and "Hollowman" shows the industrial side of Econoline Crush that makes their songs, at times, eerie. "Deeper" in particular has an eerie vibe the entire time, thanks to the keyboard lead.
Overall, The Devil You Know combines industrial rock and pop rock quite well. Even though the heavy style that the band was originally known for isn't dominant this time around, it doesn't seem to matter. The album is worth picking up. (Xenerki)
Affliction |EMI, 1996, +++ and a half|
1. Nowhere Now, 2. Blunt, 3. Wicked, 4. Emotional Stain, 5. Close, 6. Blood in the River, 7. Cruel World, 8. Lost, 9. Slug, 10. Sycophant, 11. Affliction
You like Canada? You like industrial rock (well, you should be if you're reading this)? Well, both elements are present in the major label debut of Econline Crush, a Canadian industrial rock band.
Formed in the early ‘90s out of the ashes of a crappy synthpop act that would only be entertaining if I was tripping out on LSD with Vanilla Ice, Econoline Crush proved to be a bigger step for all band members involved. Led by vocalist Trevor Hurst, their major label debut effort is textbook industrial rock. But by all means, that isn't bad.
The opener, "Nowhere Now", proves to be a real slammer. The heartfelt in-your-face guitar riffs that are present throughout the song give off a good groove to the track, combined with Hurst's interesting and broad vocal range. "Blunt", the next song off of the album, will surprise Nine Inch Nails fans without a doubt. An interesting thing that popped up during the song is the same exact sample used for Nine Inch Nails' song "Sin" 5 year earlier. I'm not an electronic keyboardist expert, but I sort've cocked my eyebrow that Econoline Crush didn't even attempt to distort, reprogram, or even change up the sample. I just found that odd.
The band also tries to take a slower side with "Emotional Stain". It seems like one of those songs that you'd chill on the couch to, and it's a nice change of direction from the hard-pounding guitar riffs found 3 songs prior.
Econoline Crush, as stated previously, is textbook industrial rock: Guitar-driven songs, melodic (or sometimes angry) vocals, various electronic samples, and the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus lineup. But, as stated previously again, that isn't bad. Songs such as "Close" and "Cruel World" have their own elements to contribute to the textbook. "Close" manipulates the guitar line to give off an interesting effect, combined with Hurst's melodic vocal range yet again. "Cruel World" has a kickass bass line that would fit perfectly inside of a dance club (or your speakers, I suppose). Unfortunately, the band had run out of ideas for a few songs in terms of being textbook. "Blood in the River" and "Sycophant" come to mind. Songs like those just can't match up to the rest of the album, and thus becomes dull.
The end of the ordeal is what caught me on surprise when I first listened to the album. The title track, "Affliction," showed Hurst's softer side initially. A smooth and melodic flow, and a soothing piano start the song. It later builds up to Hurst's pissed off vocals, and a frenzied guitar line, and ends back to where it started. Simply put, "Affliction" is one of the best endings to an album I've heard in my time.
Overall, the album cover is what SHOULD appear on an encyclopedia page for industrial rock. It's a perfect example of the genre, and if you're a newcomer to the genre, then Affliction is what you should be checking out. If you're not, then you should be grabbing it anyway. (Xenerki)
www.myspace.com/econolinecrush2007 |
http://www.last.fm/music/Econoline Crush |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Econoline_Crush
