How does one describe a band like Chrome Locust? The product of
\ntwo former members of D-Gen (including Todd Youth, formerly of
\nMurphy’s Law), one might expect this band to be punk to the
\nextreme.<\/p>\n
However, it’s best if you put all expectations aside when it
\ncomes time to listen to Chrome Locust’s self-titled debut, a
\nten-song onslaught that rarely disappoints – though it takes a few
\nlistens to really get into the disc.<\/p>\n
The band – guitarist\/vocalist Youth, bassist Jim Heneghan and
\ndrummer\/vocalist Michael Wildwood – remind me a lot of Helmet, who
\nspecialized in knowing how to put crunch into the music while
\nkeeping the vocals and their messages more streamlined. In a
\nsimilar vein, Chrome Locust do the same thing throughout the eight
\nvocal tracks on this disc. (The remaining two, including the
\n40-second “Intro”, are just instrumentals, but they are executed
\nwell.)<\/p>\n
On first listen, I’ll admit that
\nChrome Locust<\/i> passed by in a blur. This disc – which clocks
\nin at barely 30 minutes in length – didn’t seem to ever come up for
\nair, as tracks like “Drop,” “New World Disorder” and “Formula” all
\ncruised by, giving musical pleasure without a lot of comprehension
\non my part.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, a disc that’s only a half-hour in length is one I
\nhave the luxury of pushing the “repeat” button on; sure enough,
\nwith repeated listens, this disc began to show its true colors.
\nSome of the messages, like that on “M.I.A.,” should be taken very
\nseriously, as Youth and crew capture the pain of a former war hero
\nwho lives with the horrible memories of battle as well as a
\ngripping drug addiction.<\/p>\n
Other tracks, like “Drop” and “New World Disorder,” invite the
\nlistener to make their own conclusions as to what they think the
\nmessage of the songs are. Still others, like “Love Rap” and “Teen
\nDream,” take a lighter approach to things, such as the dream every
\nyoung musician starting in a garage band has of the days of
\nglory.<\/p>\n
For all the strengths of Chrome Locust, there are two gripes I
\nhave with this disc. First, while the music and songwriting prove
\nthemselves to be worthy of attention, it shouldn’t have to take
\nrepeated listens for their power and beauty to really come through.
\nSecond – you saw this one coming, didn’t you? – this disc is far
\ntoo short, especially when one really gets into the groove. (I will
\nsay this: ending the disc with the instrumental “The Cycle Of Birth
\nAnd Death” is a wise move; it allows the listener to come down
\nslowly from the musical high they’re sent on.)<\/p>\n
\nChrome Locust<\/i> is a great first effort that needs only a
\nlittle more fine tuning. If the band can make those minor
\nadjustments, their next record should be unstoppable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[7560],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-39355","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-chrome-locust","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39355"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=39355"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=39355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}