Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Album Review - The Boy Who Cried Wolf -'Bad Time Stories'



Location:Bucharest,Romania

Label:Fading Halo Records

DIY hardcore label Fading Halo has been busy over the last year or so, promoting the cream of the crop of the Romanian hardcore scene,and whatever you may think of the bands on their roster, it's hard not to admire  the label's grassroots ethos (all albums offered as free downloads, strict anti-fascism/anti-racism stance). The label can also boast a fairly diverse collection of artists on it's roster, from noise lunatics I Stared Into The Forest, to the experimental grind-core of Coins As Portraits.Now, in the immortal words of Monty Python, for something completely different.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf hail from Bucharest, and are probably the best band we've heard from the Fading Halo stable.Combining  a traditional hardcore sound with some monstrous Southern-metal influenced riffing a la Vera Cruz and Cancer Bats, the quartet's debut, Bad Time Stories, is a heady, if at times uneven cocktail of powerful riffing and brute aggression.

Opener 'It's Just A Rebel Sir' kicks things off nicely , a stuttering drum beat segueing into an absolutely massive fucking riff, guitarist Bogdan immediately standing out as the band's main focal point.'Home' announces itself in a similar fashion,a Cancer Bats-esque monster  with some fantastic groovy riffing and a shout along chorus tailor made for sweaty mosh pits the world over. Unfortunately, the band also reveal their weaker points in the same song,half hearted melodic breakdowns, which show that, while vocalist Mihai rocks when flaying his throat with agonized screaming, he struggles big time with more melodic vocals.

The band are  at their best when whipping up a storm of deafening punk noise, as on current video track 'Ghost Riders(Flame On Scumbags)' , or riding a sludgy, addictive groove, as on 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' , or the spectacularly doomy, schizophrenic  sonic temper tantrum that is 'Swamps'. However, when they drop a gear , as on 'End' or 'Inverted Queen', their sound suffers as a result.This more melodic material is definitely the weakest, with the band reverting disappointingly  to hardcore type with strained emo vocals blighting what is otherwise a decent post hardcore workout on the former, and killing the promise of a blinding intro riff on the latter.

That said, Bad Time Stories  is mostly a killer hardcore record, with moments of genuine, innovative genius, and when the band hit their stride and simply rock out they are fantastic.There is huge amounts of promise here, and if the band focus more on their strong points(more Bogdan, more guitar, more groove) , future records promise to be mind blowingly good.Ones to watch . . .

Rating:7.5/10

For fans of :Vera Cruz, Cancer Bats, Bent Life, Hollow Truth, Gallows.

Listen to/get it here: http://tbwcw.bandcamp.com/


2 comments:

  1. i don't see him struggling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4rHkQ1RifI&list=PLqDUMh3gcWqy5pewAj3NFRQ7D9CvKR0Or#t=2m38s

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  2. Thank you anonymous commenter for your input.I shall take this on board for future reviews.

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