Dividing The Line

At Least It's Not Light

Written by: TL on 17/11/2009 23:56:54

Some of our regular readers may remember a recent review in which I, apart from airing a strong disliking for the band in question, recounted how I, in my younger days, fell in love with Enter Shikari's revolutionary trancecore (if not, you can read it here), and searched myspace (mostly in vain) for similar bands. One band I did find back then however, was Dividing The Line, and after three years of residing in the back of my musical consciousness, the British quintet have finally released their debut LP, called "At Least It's Not Light".

Granted though, DTL have definitely taken half a step off the bandwagon, not currently counting a synth player, there is hardly any electro/trancee in them, however, it's still hard to shake the feeling that Enter Shikari has been an extremely strong influence on these boys. Both clean and harsh vocals, the dynamics and the socially indignant lyrical content all smell strongly of ES, but DTL have one thing going for them that makes the similarity more than bearable, especially compared to other less reputable names in their scene - That one thing being a distinct feeling of conviction in their music.

It's hard to put your finger on it, because you'll quickly realize that this is far from a stellar album, but as you listen to track upon track of the band's attempt to fuse their ES inspiration with what seems like a love for the guitarmanship of both Alexisonfire and Misery Signals, you'll also likely note that 'generic' is too harsh a word to label them with. Granted, there are too few songs like the closing duo, "A Lighthouse Is More Useful Than A Church" and "Why The Whales Come", which really embed themselves in your mind with their catchy remains and successful use of vocal interplay, but still, this is really damn enjoyable. Why? Because you can feel that DTL have put effort into creating a sound that really sets a mood. One that draws the listener in and makes him care about what it is the band is screaming for. A feat that all too many of the current post-hardcore posterboys tend to be incapable of.

All in all, "At Least It's Not Light" is a record of a nicely familiar kind, namely the type on which a young band showcases a confident, identifiable sound, even if their songwriting skill is still a bit too undeveloped to make for a true breathtaker. It's far from something that should result in a blow-up in DTL's immediate future, but it is easily a record that deserves to get them noticed by any and all scenesters who give a shit about a little thing called "depth of expression". A faith-inducing pleasure to listen to, if not a treasure trove of new memories.

7

Download: A Lighthouse Is More Useful Than A Church, Why The Whales Come
For The Fans Of: Enter Shikari, Alexisonfire, Misery Signals, Thursday
Listen: myspace.com/dividingtheline

Release Date 02.11.2009
A Wolf At Your Door Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.