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by eric wilson (subliminalmsgr) / chris earnhart (Pocket) - Sep 01, 2003
My Vitriol - Finelines Review #1 - Eric Wilson Finelines was released in the UK by My Vitriol in 2001 and is now available as part of a double-album that also includes the newer Between the Lines. Finelines, which consists of 14 anthems for the gloomy modern world is made up of 3 parts plain rock and 1 part metal. Neither heavy nor classic metal, this is more of an alternative-metal, though not as cheesy or contrived as the American nü-metal. These songs are heavy—not in the heavy metal sense, but in the heavy poetry sense. They sound like they belong somewhere important, like in a movie—a very serious movie. That's not to say that these songs don't "rock"—they do. It's just that they could benefit from some variety. This is the type of album where I'd have part of a song that I like stuck in my head but I'd have to listen to the entire album in order to find it again. On a number of tracks, the vocals are very sparse, giving even more of an anthemic feel. The highlight of the album is track five, "Cemented Shoes," simply because it stands out compared to the rest of the album. As for the album on a whole, there is a fine line between good music and great music and Finelines just doesn't cut it. Review #2 - Chris Earnhart My Vitriol is an alt-rock band who has put out a CD with some quality work on it, but Finelines doesn't seem to have the flow that makes an album a special thing. It seems like it would have been much better with a few less songs. I'm sure that My Vitriol fans would be ecstatic to get more bang for their buck, but as a first time listener, there are some songs that I will just skip over most of the time. Despite vocals that are reminiscent of much pop-rock, the band can hardly be classified as such. The band shows that they have a lot of talent with the standard line-up of lead and rythm guitar, bass, and drums. Som Wardner, vocalist/guitarist, also plays piano for a few of the songs. "Tongue Tied" is a very moving instrumental with a mixed pace that proves the band's skill, and it is a nice lead in to "Windows & Walls" which is a much slower song. It's admittedly hard for me to say much about this band's sound. Light vocals stand promintently over harder guitar. The drums and the bass are most often background as they are in many bands. My Vitriol does have a very unique sound, despite their common set-up. The album itself doesn't stand out as remarkable to me, but there are a few gems in it. For those who have heard of My Vitriol and enjoy their music, then this would be a good album. For those who want a slight spin on modern alt-rock, check them out at http://www.myvitriol.com/. Otherwise, I think that cutting a few songs out would've solidified this album and made it worthy of listening beginning to end, but for right now the lack of variety that is needed in a 16 track album prevents me from recommending it to anyone else. Look to future works for something that flows a little better. |