U.S Graves : " Voice of an Idiot Ghost"

Take Over and Destroy have always had a dark side. This time they have given over it as the singer formed a new project called ...well you saw the title of the review didn't you. Anyways these guys are more of a post-punk thing. That's right post-punk. It might be confusing , if you had heard other things about them but some music journalists at some blogs don't know what makes a band post-punk and what makes them goth. So we will get a lesson in this. So the key to what makes a band goth is elegance. Here is a shocker Joy Division is not goth. Not goths might listen to them , but they are not goth.These guys have some cool guitar melodies and I like the moody baritone croon of the vocals, but they are still too punk to be goth.

Just because of the bar being held high here since I grew up a poor goth child , they might only be taking stabs in the direction of goth  guitar leading into "Don't Pull Out" . Female vocals are layered into this . Now just because this is not goth doesn't mean it's not dark nor does it mean it's not good because it's both of those things. But referencing vampires or Halloween in context of what these guys sound like is just ignorant. The lyrics are grim and vaguely romantic, but they would need to give me more emotion and drama to be goth. They have heard Sisters of Mercy in the manner some of these bass lines drive the song with the title track being an excellent example. At times they remind me of where In Solitude was heading on "Sister" . "And Yet" is not as strong of a song as the first 3. It is not terrible it just doesn't flow together as well in the strum of guitar.

So gothness aside I really like the first three songs. I'll give this ep a 9 and look forward to hearing a full length from them. I might even like this more than Take Over and Destroy. Perhaps they will listen to the music of the night and move in a darker, more romantic and elegant direction and become goth. If they dont I am still satisfied with who they are an like hearing a more emotional take on post-punk.




3.7

Take Over and Destroy : "s/t"

This album starts off decidedly more metal than their last album "Vacant Face" . I really like this guys gothier clean vocals. While there is some influence in how he flips back and forth, it's not at the most predictable moments so they get points for that. There is a razor sharp thrashing riff to "Leave the Door" , it's not until they slow down at the two minute mark that I find anything about this song as compelling as the opener. It's not until "Let me Grieve" that it strikes me that these guys are like a crust-core version of In Solitude, that is the band's "Sister" era later work. The song writing also becomes more nuanced on this one so maybe that factors in. They keep things at a brisk pace on "Separate From the Shadows", when it comes to the chorus you could almost draw comparisons to a rawer and heavier A.F.I.

I like the fact he sings more on "Out of Frame". I do not feel that the vocal wrap themselves around the music quiet as well as they could, though I can hear where he is trying to go with it. They are at more of a punk like thrashing speed for "Red Ink". There is more deliberate stomp to the social commentary of "Job Coffins". They return to a more classic metal sound leading into "Love Among the Ruins". This is coupled with a gloomy croon, but for some reason when it goes down on this album it reminds me more of In Solitude. Not sure why it sounded fresher the last time around. It slows into a more sludge filled pounding that proves to be very effective. The proto - metal kicks it back to the 70's on "Bring Me the Rope". They certainly slap Ghost upside their hooded robes with the attitude in this ode to suicide.

They close this party out with "Night Work Begins" which is rougher and sloppier into is collision of post-punk despondency and NWOBHM. They jam this one out longer , following a plodding bass groove the guitar provides atmosphere that would have been welcomed earlier in the album. Right now I'll give this one an 8.5 as it doesn't wow me as much as the previous album and some of the ideas seem to pay too much homage to other bands, but it is better than most of the other metal that came out this week and has a different vibe than your average crusty d-beaters.

Lest We Forget : Take Over and Destroy: "Vacant Face"

This came out last august but is too awesome to not have on here, so for instances where we missed the boat and it's still in the harbor we have our "Lest We Forget" column. The first song throws in almost every element I like in music and metal, there is a darkly ambient intro that vomits up some metal with hardcore and death metal leanings, yet manages to bring Celtic Frost to mind.At the end this song even employs gothy clean singing that would make Atriarch proud. Haven't keened in on the lyrics there is something about a complacent stare. They have synths accenting the riffs to the goth soaked "Summer Isle". Some times his goth voice reminds more of Bella Morte or 69 Eyes rock n roll vein of death worship rather than the more hipster Ian Curtis take. It's not what you would expect to be haunting the deserts of Arizona.


Only two songs break the four minute mark, yet these guys managed to cram a lot into every song, with out sounding bi-polar like Mr. Bungle and they are less sprawling and bouncy than Sleepy Time. There is a Swedish metal feel to "Glance Away" with more owed to In Flames than At the Gates. There is an intangible element that keeps this from having that mall metal cheese to it. They adhere to more conventional parameters of metal in almost a Goatwhore like manner on "Split Screen"  That Swedish influence I heard earlier is not clearer to me as the Wolverine Blues era Entombed rears it's head. This hammered harder into place before the goth creeps out of the casket on "Terminal Burrowing". They also rip into some rowdy rock n roll in a spastic manner not too far removed from Kvelertak. And then some melodic guitar begins to please my ears as they put their vampire teeth back in. A pick slide kicks up the dust on "Deep End" the Entombed influence here marries Venom before the more melodic side is invoked by the synths and the spooky vocals aren't far behind.

There is some dark nasty goodness in "Dominance Shifts" but until the goth part comes up some of the metal becomes a blur of blasts and bellowing. There is some old school "NWOBHM" riffing that jumps up onto the monitors on "Battle  Moon". Which might be my favorite song that holds a powerful enough chug so the goth parts don't steal the show. One first listen it didn't hit me how much they went into the darker sound until I sat down with some head phones and began picking this apart. At the same time when the goth side of the band is the predominant sound on "Where Seasons Lay" it doesn't have the same impact, I think they are a metal band first and a goth band second or third. After a synth interlude the album closes on an even darker note with the ominous "Attrition". The guitar has tons of punch, the bass is largely buried and the drums have a raw room sound them. The lyrics to this song jump out as they roar about gouging out their eyes. The clean guitar solos that slide into place around the four and a half minute mark show these guys can really play. Some of the more roaring Entombed moments became a blur in places, but I think this album deserves a 9.5  and look forward to hearing more from them.