Them Philosophy Thought Before Action
by Leyla Hamedi
Staff Writer
Someone really needs to help them Italians with picking their band names because there has yet to be a memorable one, in a good way. Nanowar does not count. Them Philosophy struggles to find their own sound as they bounce between alternative to ska to metal and back again throughout the record. Not content to stick to just one genre, the end result unfortunately isn’t the creative amalgamation of sounds they hoped for but kind of a confused mess.
Thought Before Action stars with a, “1984,” type intro but without the synthesizer. The record then smoothly transitions from weak video game beeps into the first real song, “Please.” Beginning with harsh, spitting out verses and then switching to a softer, almost melodic second half is kind of abrupt, but it really throws you for a loop when it goes back to barking, “You must die,” in the chorus. Unfortunately, by the end of the song that’s exactly what you’re thinking in regards to lead singer Elisa D’Andrea. “Mother,” mixes the ever-present singing in short bursts of anger with a ska edge, which is actually quite interesting in a Stolen Babies kind of way. The mournful, actual singing parts of the song also show D’Andrea does have a good voice which she should stick to instead of switching back and forth between rapping and growling like she’s in competition with Angela Gossow from Arch Enemy.
“En-sof 1,” begins with an otherworldly chanting that leads into twangy guitars and harmonizing Italian lyrics, which very pretty in its simplicity. “Vertigo,” is finally where Them Philosophy finally grasps on to what they’re capable of. The soft, haunting delivery of the vocals with a harder, pounding backing band sounds together and original. But they quickly switch from dark and heavy to flowers and butterflies and then back again about four more times during the song. But the obvious contrast in this song works to shape an interesting melody that most of the other songs lack.
It’s interesting to note that the awkward make-up of their songs works when performed in Italian. “Come La Mafia,” seems like a simple acoustic number and D’Andrea is obviously more confident singing in her own language as she puts her heart into powerfully expelling the words. The racing metal guitars during the bridges don’t let the song stagnate. Finishing off the album is the attitude filled “Magdalene,” all rage and pomp. Which then, again, goes into pretty harmonies and high-pitched vocalizations. Which in turn goes into the gun-fire delivery of the rest of the song. It’s like musical ADD chairs.
It’s a big undertaking to attempt about nine different genres of music in one song, and Them Philosophy would be much better off picking one and doing it well rather than taking them all on and teetering at the edge of mediocrity.
Band Members:
Elisa D’Andrea – Vocals
Ivo Di Marco – Guitars
Claudio Angelucci – Bass
Alessandro Ceccacci – Drums
Track Listing:
Intro
Please
Mother S.
Sense of Absence
En-sof 1
Vertigo
En-sof 2
Where Is The Limit
Come La Mafia
House of Mirrors
Previous Time
Magdalene
Label: UK Division Records
Official Site: On MySpace
Hardrock Haven Rating: 5/10