Undermine fails to impress
By Marty Garza
IV Leader Music Critic
Rock fans are the hardest group of elitist jerks to talk
out of what they believe to be good and what they know is terrible. Creatures of
habit we are, and we know what we like.
With that said, Undermine's first full length album "Suited
Red" is recycled, butchered and feels like it has ripped off every "emotional
metal" band that has ever been endorsed through television commercials. Now, a
genuine attempt was made to try to like this album since I have heard some good
things about the band.
"Give it a week and maybe it will grow on you" is the
statement I made for the past three weeks in trying to find a way to get this
album to be enjoyable. Unfortunately, the album has grown on me like a palm tree
in Antarctica.
It is monotonous, boring and feels like it is trying to force
the band member's taste in music on the listener rather than trying to convince
the music fan that they are good. From the repetitive electric guitar intro to
almost every song on the album to the terribly delivered vocal changes from
melodic to forced scream, it all falls short.
Now, that is not to say that there is not any talent to be
found from Undermine, it is just that it feels like it is either squandered
through forgettable lyrics and songs that just blur together. I've gone through
six or seven rotations of the album where I just sat down, threw on the
headphones and took notes.
Even through all of that, I can't distinguish most of the
songs from each other. I couldn't tell you what the lyrics were or even how long
the album is. It all felt like actual work. It felt like I was forcing myself to
listen to music that I could honestly never get into or understand or realize
how anyone could mistake this for good music.
It all feels like consumed, regurgitated and stapled together
songs from bands like Tantric and 12 Stones, both of which are bands that are
remembered for how much of a joke they were to the people who grew up with rock
bands that they will never hold a candle to.
There is no reason to have this album as more of an inside
joke. Like the monkey's paw, it fails on every wish made for a decent rock album
and I want "Suited Red" as far away from me as possible.