Owl Owl

by Leyla Hamedi
Staff Writer

owl The records starts out like a pre-show warm-up. Cymbals crashing, rolling guitar feedback, the sense of excitement for what’s to come. Although it’s a pretty presumptuous intro, the rest of the album does its best to live up to its grand entrance.

“Charmed,” drags as a song. It’s not bad but even though the vocals do their best rock show flourishes- whispers to highlight verses then belting the chorus lines- the backing music is rather uninspired and forgettable. “Pusher,” however, with its dark bass intro leads to a louder and crazier song. It’s swooping melodies and taunting, Scott Weiland-like vocals make you pay more attention than the previous track. The next song is an unexpected surprise with its punkier opening, but then it comes to a standstill at the bridge before going back to it’s rowdiness. Though it was probably used to deliver a harder punch, “More On Drugs,” shouldn’t completely cut out the music before the choruses, it makes it more awkward than powerful.

“Alive,” is a basic rock song although the way it integrates the symphonic elements of the up-right bass and fades out in a, ‘Bittersweet Symphony,” reminiscent riff gives it a nice touch. “Sky Rocket,” uses more of the bass as it is a slow song that brings the vocal to the forefront. But then it has an electric guitar solo that is both unexpected and fitting – it saves it from being just a filler song.

“Violent Center,” varies up the sound with harder rocking and bellowing vocals. It’s a good wake-up especially right before the bell-tolling intro of the next song, “Apples.” The child-like lilting vocals actually give it an eerie haunted air but then again, it goes into the harder rock ending the previous song also employed. “Ghost In The Starlight,” starts out with a simple guitar but the rasping vocals and the screeching guitar parts liken it more experimental rock bands like Muse. But, the Owl-sound is back in action with the hard intro of the last track, “Waves,” which carries it to an absolutely insane ending complete with shrieking vocals and every instrument going crazy, bookending it with the intro.

Band Members:
Chris Wyse- vocals, bass, up-right bass
Dan Dinsmore- drums
Jason Achilles Mezilis- guitars

Label: Overit Records

Track Listing:
Brainwaves
Charmed
Pusher
More On Drugs
Alive
One Mans Disaster
Sky Rocket
Preacher Man
Degeneration
Violent Center
Apples
No Light
Ghost In The Starlight
Waves

Web site: Owl site

Hardrock Haven Rating: 5.5/10