Band : The Change
Album title : The Deer Moss Murders
Label : Mamotsjka Music bvba – I Scream Records
Distributor : CNR
Release date : 19/09/2008
Release : CD

Now based in Gothenburg, this West Coast Swedish Punk act was formed during Summer 2003 in a small town in an area locally known as Deer Moss. Originally the band was apparently a 5-piece with two guitarists and a separate singer, but with guitarist Peter Bader taking over lead vocal duties the line-up was slimmed down to a foursome. With bassist Thomas Lundib and drummer Olle Björk still in place, the second guitarist was also replaced, his duties now performed by Kai Karjalainen.

Until now the band has already issued three self-titled items, a 7-inch on Monument Records, a CD-EP on the Dead Friends label (and I've no idea whén these two were released) and the January 2004 full-length on the small Fight Fire With Fire imprint. The records got the band positive feedback, and successful touring and playing support shows to the likes of The Hellacopters, AFI, The Bronx and The Sounds has given the band a truly good live reputation. But the past hasn't apparently been all roses and moonshine for the band. According to the guys themselves, they've gone through quite some turbulent times during the recordings of the sophomore album. Things which would've led to calling it quits for a lot of other bands, but in the case of The Change that was never in the program.

The recordings for this sophomore album (at Upsala's Ear Studios)were started in mid August of last year with Carl Vikman (known from his work with Kaospilot, Nine, Switchblade...) as engineer/ producer, with these 12 tracks as a final result. The Change is said to have a sound rooted in the attitude/ revolution of Hardcore Punk, but the Hardcore part of the music will have to be found primarily in the band's attitudes and lyrics, because musically the influences quoted are AFI, At The Drive-In and Hotsnakes. In the vocal department the boys (Peder is frequently backed by one of the other guys) remain transfixed in the higher regions of tonality, which (much to my regret) gives the music an Emo touch overall...even if the band's lyrics and attitude are really removed from that scene! Luckily the music is quite good, with an occasional emphasis on the thumping bass (check "Bullets") in between rather sharp-raw played guitars. Make your acqaintance with the quartet's overall melodic music by surfing to myspace.com/the change, where you'll find 4 songs (one also in video clip form) off the new album posted (pity there was no older stuff to compare the new material with.

At the end of the day, this ain't really my cup of tea, but have to admit that the stuff is all well written with the necessary diversity. To me, it all sounds a little too sharp, really, but I'm sure a lot of fans of the aforementioned musical influences will find The Change to their liking indeed. I dó keep wondering whére the guys got that sample from at the end of "The First Light" (not on the band's MySpace page) and "Quote Death (When Roaches March)" (it's clearly from a same movie soundtrack...but whích one?).

80/100

Tony.