Sunday, January 6, 2013

Ep Review -I Stared Into The Forest - 'Unframed Pictures Of Our Epilogue'

Location: Brasov,Romania

Label: Fading Halo Records

Track Listing: 1.No Longer Here
                     2.Failing Lungs
                     3. Their Crooked Teeth
                     4.To Hang By A Thread

I Stared Into The Forest are a four piece hardcore/screamo/mathcore outfit from Romania, who proclaim, admirably , that their music is based on DIY  ethics, and only ever offer their music as free downloads, as well as taking a hardline stance against issues such 'discrimination'..It's a nice sentiment, and one which you cannot fault one bit coming from a hardcore/punk band, especially post-American Idiot , and it is an odd musical climate we exist in where a punk band who ascribes to these values can be singled out and commended for them rather than being treated as the norm.However, as much as there is to admire about the band's ethics, sadly, there isn't really much to recommend about their music.

It's not that ISITF are in any way a bad band, more we've heard it all before.The churning guitars, turn on a dime time signatures and bleak, discordant sound have been done a thousand times before, and often much better, by bands like The Bled , Converge ,December etc.The usual array of breakdowns  and half-screamed,half spoken vocals are employed,to varying effect, but there's little here that will stick in the memory.The band play well, and everything sounds great, a clear, crisp production and mastering job at least ensuring the EP is an easy enough experience on the ear.But there's nothing here to reward repeat listens, nothing that hooks you in.The band's passion and energy is apparent throughout, and it seems they might make for a decent watch live, but overall, it's a tepid enough listen, and not one you'll be returning to a huge amount.

Rating:5/10

For fans of: Botch, Converge The Bled, Blood Brothers , Ilenkus

 Listen/Download it here: http://istaredintotheforest.bandcamp.com/

Stephen O ' Connor
bornagainnihilist@gmail.com



2 comments:

  1. In one word, It's not catchy? Is that the word you were looking for? Not very Asking Alexandria-ish?

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  2. I actually said nothing of the sort.Read through the blog, and you'll find a great many bands who are less accessible than ISITF, I simply didn't enjoy the EP that much.I was asked for a review, gave my opinion as requested, and this is the end product.Don't like it, that's not my problem.

    On a side note, don't submit your stuff to us expecting a glowing review every time. I'm guessing you're a member of the label or the band themselves( I don't know, because you've commented as 'Anonymous'),so here's it in a nutshell:this is a blog where we review underground bands, it is not a promotional tool for you to use to pad out an EPK.

    If I like a band, I review them well, if I don't, I don't.It's absolutely nothing personal in the slightest, and as a musician myself I empathize with how hard it is to get your band out there.But if I give every band whose music I don't enjoy a good review anyway for the sake of being nice, it ruins the whole point of writing a blog like this in the first place.I explain in the review what I don't like about the band's music, I don't attack them at all, and it's a fair review, in my book.If you don't like it, I'm sure there's other sites who might review it differently.Try them.

    Stephen




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