December Peals

People Have Demons

Written by: PP on 20/11/2011 04:23:04

The only thing that can be said with certainty about December Peals is that they are from Germany. Their new album "People Have Demons" namely isn't entirely sure whether it wants to be an alternative rock record, a punk record, a rock'n'roll record, or possibly all three at once. Taking cues from the likes of Donots, these Germans deliver thirteen tracks of lively rock that just loves to dabble with all three genres equally, sometimes nose diving into energetic punk rock, only to recycle generic rock'n'roll tracks on the next, while bringing a catchy alternative rock style chorus on the third track.

It's a hit and miss approach. All too many songs blend in together in a stream of nothingsaying riffage that's as basic as it comes with rock bands, only with a little bit of ringing distortion laid on top. The good news is that the band are fronted by an extremely capable vocalist, whose strained clean vocals are the one reason why December Peals are a band worth having a look at. His performance brings energy and conviction to their music, and occasionally he lands a strong chorus melody, such as on the title track or on "Best Of Luck", which are almost sing alongable.

The bad news is that he can't carry the whole band. While you can't point a finger at anything in particular, it's the overall 'standard' vibe of their expression that makes one exchange the disc with something a little more...relevant. The retrospective rock'n'roll riffs just don't sound as good when sped up to a punk rock tempo, and this is done on nearly every single song on the record. Alas, the expression, vivid and energetic as it may be, sounds tired and pushes December Peals one step further into the grey mass of similar-sounding rock'n'roll bands of today.

Download: People Have Demons, Best Of Luck, Saints And Sinners
For the fans of: Donots, Airbourne, Smokesuit
Listen: Myspace

Cargo Records / Chorus Of One Records
Release date 05.02.2010

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