EkoTren

Light The Fire

Written by: TL on 28/04/2008 23:57:37

Having tested the hybrid nature EkoTren\'s debut album on fellow scribe AB, I think it\'s safe to say that extreme metallers like him will despise it. Noticing how the style is a mixture of the way TOO trendy metalcore and the long out of style nu-metal, I\'m initially finding it hard to envision who it actually is that\'s supposed to listen to \"Light The Fire\" - That is except for myself and AP, who\'ve been positively surprised by the quality of the record, making me think that if only other people would give it a shot, they might just love it too.

You see in terms of what\'s in, EkoTren have it hard. The word metalcore is one that almost makes me barf up a thick stream of contempt these days, and as for nu-metal, while some people say it\'s dead, I tend to question if it was ever alive to anyone with taste. Taking things like that into consideration is what makes \"Light The Fire\" such a surprise, but then, maybe if people like me just got over genres and listened exclusively for good songs they wouldn\'t be as surprised. Fact remains; there\'s a lot of good moments on this album.

From the opening title track, the metalcore formula rears its ugly head with scratched screams and roars broken off by clean refrains, yet somehow, instead of seeming tired and worn out as usual, here it just works. It\'s certainly not high-culture, but I for one still find myself singing the chorus by myself all day, and that\'s basically the core of values on the album. The quiet semi-acoustic break-offs hint of all that was ever good about nu-metal, building a mood more credible than most bands in its golden days were capable of, and that mood is constantly built upon with foot-stomping, fist-pumping metal the good old fashioned non-complicated way. It\'s heavy, yet catchy, and it makes you want to jump around, screaming fiercely along to the lines.

While the album won\'t capture you completely till the sixth or seventh listen, there are a few songs, highlighted by the opener and the lead single \"Tranquilized\", that move into your awareness fairly swiftly. The latter song displays perfectly the band\'s capabilities with its crunching opening riff, quiet Hoobastank-ish verse and infectious build up, and by the time the chorus ends you\'re all good and ready to roar its final word \"TRANQUILIIIIZED!\".

Anyway, the point of this review is that the more I listen to EkoTren, the more it baffles me how good it is, simply because it\'s not the kind of music I\'d usually like at all, and their debut effort is one I\'d find fitting both for casual listening sessions like in car, but also for intense late night enjoyment. Sure it proves to be a bit inconsistent when you really really pay attention, but for barely reviving nu-metal and redeeming metalcore, I feel it\'s in order to dish out at least:

Download: Light The Fire, Tranquilized
For The Fans Of: In Flames, Soilwork, Sonic Syndicate
Listen: myspace.com/ekotren

Release 25.02.2008
Blind Prophecy Records
Provided by Target ApS

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