| CD REVIEW Steak Number Eight |
  |
|
Band : Steak Number Eight Following a first collaboration in early 2009 to create the The Perpetual/ Blood on Our Hands EP (check simultaneous review of the band's first self-released full-length When The Candle Dies Out..., posted 08/04/2010), Belgian's Experimental/ Psychedelic Rock/ Metal act Steaknr8 re-entered the studio with producer Mario Goosens to record the songs they'd been developing since that session for their sophomore album. The recorded material was of a standard to convince top producer Matt Bayles (known from his collaborations in the past with Mastodon, Isis, and more of that lik) that he wanted to be involved in the mixing of it. The band's new album sees a natural progression of their previous output, with songwriting improved compared to the old days. Well, lead singer/ guitarist is still the main responsible for writing the stuff to begin with, so it's really his progress, but possibly the band's successes in the past couple of years have given the others some of the nerve needed to step to the front as backing singers as well? At any rate, on top of the already varied vocal landscape (which goes from clean with a hoarse edge over whispered to screamed), you now also get several very nice layered clean vocal passages (on the songs “Black Fall”, “Track Into the Sky”, and “Man Vs. Man”) adding to the fray that is this band's music! On the album, those backings were performed by the band's hometown Ortier Koor choir, but most probably the songs were developed in rehearsal first (with the guys doin' their own backing vocals) and in live conditions it will of course have to be Vanneste's band mates who'll have to perform those choir vocals!? Then again, I could be wrong all over, and those backings may well be reproduced on stage through pre-recorded playback? It's almost chilling (a pleasant trembling down the spine, that) to realize that the band's members have still to turn 18. What's comparable with previous output, is the band's constant shifting from more energized passages and/or complete songs with progressive build-ups, to wacky atmospheric passages, and back. Oh, the guys definitely enjoy their Rock Hero status here in Belgium, what with groupies hunting after 'em...ain't that every male adolescent/ young adult's wet dream? Someone in touch with the band recently told me there's quite some sexually laden comments when the band's back stage, and he also linked that to the album's opening song “Dickhead”. However, in his case the text passage “You can suck my fuckin' cock” have no sexual connotations at all! Nothing adolescent about the band's music though, because All Is Chaos shows a band come of age. You can check two songs off the new album (of which “The Calling” was recently sent out as single to the media) at (www.) myspace.com/steaknr8 (alongside 4 older tracks). I love these guys, and next time the editor-in-chief goes to see one of their shows, I hope I'm free to join him! Top rating...or what would you expect from a die-hard Isis, Mastodon, Neurosis (and more of the same) fan, whom discovered that Belgium now has a band which can easily compete with those major label acts? About time the Belgian music industry woke up, and gave this band the chance it needs to break through in the rest of Europe...and beyond! At any rate, if the members can continue to stay as passionate about their music as they are today, we have a really big Belgian band in the making here! Of course, possible school problems, and the music industry failing to back 'em, might eventually lead to such disappointments as to cause the band's demise...but that's doom-thinking, and I prefer to look at thing sunny-side up! Right now, this album does bring the announcement of Spring returning! 100/100 Tony. |