{"id":30426,"date":"2013-06-25T06:17:22","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T11:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=30426"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:36:16","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:36:16","slug":"neverfriend-dangerously-addictive-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/neverfriend-dangerously-addictive-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Neverfriend | Dangerously Addictive<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Neverfriend\"Dangerously Addictive<\/em> is the second release from Canadian punk\/alternative rockers Neverfriend. Raw and aggressive, it manages to capture much of the genre\u2019s base appeal and gives it a slightly more modern sound without altering its old school underpinnings. \u201cDark social commentary\u201d is probably the most apt description of the band\u2019s theme, much as it was back in the early days of the punk scene. Neverfriend carries the banner proudly on this six song release.<\/p>\n

Founded back in 2006 as Stereovision by the husband and wife team of Fraser and Gina Smith, the band underwent a few changes in personnel and style, picking up a harder edge while melding alternative rock, metal, and punk influences into what has become Neverfriend. Lyrically not for the faint of heart, their songs focus on topics like addiction, abuse, pain, and survival. Gina Smith fronts that band and contributes some guitars. She has a gritty, expressive voice ideally suited for the punk influenced music, but on a few occasions she seems to overstep her natural range causing her voice to thin out. Primary guitarist Fraser Smith lays down some strong rhythm lines, big hooks and solid riffs. Unfortunately as with many modern rock acts, it seems that the idea of a guitar solo is for some reason taboo. Bassist Logan Bennett and drummer Mike Berrigan complete the quartet, and both handle their duties admirably. Bennett in particular has awesome bass chops and can bring the instrument forward without dominating the rest of the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cBad For You\u201d opens with massive bass and drums, and Gina\u2019s gritty vocal line make this the band\u2019s showcase track. The strong guitar rhythms and biting, raw sound capture the essence of punk. Super heavy rhythm guitars and booming drums are an interesting contrast for Gina\u2019s higher (and occasionally squeaky) vocals on the energetic \u201cChick Is So High.\u201d \u201cBreak You\u201d is a slower song that allows the drums to drive the music. For some reason rather than taking a softer approach, Gina seems to be straining while she sings \u2013 which really does not suit the lyrics, tone and tempo of the track, making this one rather disappointing. \u201cFaker\u201d features an awesome guitar line and some very angry vocals, while the moody \u201cSuccum\u201d lives on top of a strong bass line. Gina really sings on this track, and it is nice change from the constant grit and growl of the previous songs. The very moody \u201cThese Pills\u201d wraps the short album (long EP?) with strong performances from all.<\/p>\n

Dangerously Addictive<\/em> is a strong attempt at capturing the punk \/ alternative spirit. Despite a few rough spots, Neverfriend is setting itself up as a band to watch in their chosen genre. Their music may be too edgy or dark for the casual listener thus inherently limiting their commercial appeal, but their raw sound will find a solid following among those who dislike the commercialization of modern rock. While they may not get much mainstream radio airplay (but then what punk band ever really did?\u2026), Neverfriend will appeal to the rebellious among us, and old school punk fans who are looking for a simple, solid musical kick to the head. With just a little more polish and a touch more diversity in style, Neverfriend has a real shot at success.<\/p>\n

Genre: Alternative, Punk Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nGina Smith (vocals, guitar)
\nLogan Bennett (bass, backing vocals)
\nMike Berrigan (drums, backing vocals)
\nFraser Smith (guitar)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tBad For You
\n2.\tChick Is So High
\n3.\tBreak You
\n4.\tFaker
\n5.\tSuccum
\n6.\tThese Pills<\/p>\n

Label: Independent<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.neverfriend.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Senior Columnist — Dangerously Addictive is the second release from Canadian punk\/alternative rockers Neverfriend. Raw and aggressive, it manages to capture much of the genre\u2019s base appeal and gives it a […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":30427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,3294,334],"class_list":{"0":"post-30426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-cd","9":"tag-punk-rock","10":"tag-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}