echovalve-helloagaingoodbye

Rock Ridge
2008

Maybe I am just old, but twenty some years ago it seemed rather easy to tell what was metal and most people were in agreement as to what was and wasn't metal. However today some people think the field of metal has expanded you get a wide variety acts who some may declare as being metal yet they actually are not. The debut from Atlanta's echovalve had me thinking along those lines because despite the volume and the drums, it's not quite metal in the traditional. It's sort of heavy melodic alternative music although I can see some metal fans liking it. It's decent enough because they keep things moving, but they don't have the kind of drive or punctuated hooks that are really going to grab you and pull you in. I think they lack some variety in their music and several songs are just content to float on with similar approaches. They seem to be relying heavily on the vocals and the vocals are good, but the lack of hooks in the music gives the band somewhat of a one dimensional approach. There's talent here no doubt, but they need to open a little and push the boundaries a little more. Whether they push in a metal direction or an alternative one isn't as important as the fact that they need take a few more chances and perhaps work on making the music more distinct. They have done a fair amount for a debut becuase the melodies are strong, but I think they could get even further with a bit more fine tuning.

http://www.myspace.com/echovalve