Despite what they may want you to think, We're Doomed don't sound like the end of the world. They sound more like Muse took some Adderall and borrowed whatever illegal-drug-based songwriting method I highly suspect that Battles uses. If their debut EP Like a Machine is the apocalypse, it's certainly the most enjoyable one since we on Earth failed to deliver Ziltoid our finest cup of coffee.
From the opening moments of this album, it's clear that We're Doomed have technical proficiency on their side; the multiple guitar solos and technical melodies in "Impending Doom" alone are enough to grab anyone's attention. There's also a diverse collection of styles here. Their standard The Mars Volta sound is interrupted with the short, transitional piece "Like We Said...," which contains some nasty guitar lines that sound like they're straight out of 1960s space-rock psychedelia. My favourite section, however, has to be from "To the Church!" The scatterbrained guitar and drum interplay is absolutely stellar, and clearly display the talents this band has garnered.
One thing I can appreciate about this EP is the non-linear songwriting. There's not a single simple verse/chorus structure in sight, which is much to its benefit. It's enjoyable not knowing what the band's going to pull out next. Even though the EP itself is very short, it'll definitely keep you guessing about what will be happening until the very end. Even the relatively straightforward and repetitive sections (i.e., the ending of "The Rise of the Mammoth Lord") are pretty strong showings.
Unfortunately, the release as a whole is marred by the fact that the vocalist leaves several things to be desired. His vocal style hails from the less-than-fortunate half of post-hardcore music; his struggling whines would make even Bob Dylan sound palatable in comparison. "The Show Must Go On," what could have been the strongest song on the album, is absolutely wrecked by his painful vocal tones. In fact, the closer "The Rise of the Mammoth Lord" is actually much stronger when the vocalist just goes for the harsh, shouting tones rather than trying to make even vague references to tonality. Those of you with forgiving ears likely won't take issue here, but the average listener, despite all of the other strong points on this EP, will have to fight to keep listening.
If you can get past that one point, it's actually a pretty good EP. It's nothing terribly new, and not exactly impressive compared to some of their peers, but it is still rather enjoyable. I don't see many people returning to this EP, but this does give me reason to believe that We're Doomed will be strong enough to release a very compelling full-length album.
Despite what they may want you to think, We're Doomed don't sound like the end of the world. They sound more like Muse took some Adderall and borrowed whatever illegal-drug-based songwriting method I highly suspect that Battles uses. If their debut EP Like a Machine is the apocalypse, it's certainly the most enjoyable one since we on Earth failed to deliver Ziltoid our finest cup of coffee.
From the opening moments of this album, it's clear that We're Doomed have technical proficiency on their side; the multiple guitar solos and technical melodies in "Impending Doom" alone are enough to grab anyone's attention. There's also a diverse collection of styles here. Their standard The Mars Volta sound is interrupted with the short, transitional piece "Like We Said...," which contains some nasty guitar lines that sound like they're straight out of 1960s space-rock psychedelia. My favourite section, however, has to be from "To the Church!" The scatterbrained guitar and drum interplay is absolutely stellar, and clearly display the talents this band has garnered.
One thing I can appreciate about this EP is the non-linear songwriting. There's not a single simple verse/chorus structure in sight, which is much to its benefit. It's enjoyable not knowing what the band's going to pull out next. Even though the EP itself is very short, it'll definitely keep you guessing about what will be happening until the very end. Even the relatively straightforward and repetitive sections (i.e., the ending of "The Rise of the Mammoth Lord") are pretty strong showings.
Unfortunately, the release as a whole is marred by the fact that the vocalist leaves several things to be desired. His vocal style hails from the less-than-fortunate half of post-hardcore music; his struggling whines would make even Bob Dylan sound palatable in comparison. "The Show Must Go On," what could have been the strongest song on the album, is absolutely wrecked by his painful vocal tones. In fact, the closer "The Rise of the Mammoth Lord" is actually much stronger when the vocalist just goes for the harsh, shouting tones rather than trying to make even vague references to tonality. Those of you with forgiving ears likely won't take issue here, but the average listener, despite all of the other strong points on this EP, will have to fight to keep listening.
If you can get past that one point, it's actually a pretty good EP. It's nothing terribly new, and not exactly impressive compared to some of their peers, but it is still rather enjoyable. I don't see many people returning to this EP, but this does give me reason to believe that We're Doomed will be strong enough to release a very compelling full-length album.
