Reactions

Under My Skin EP

Written by: TL on 27/03/2012 13:47:52

Right, I want to see if I can get back into the groove of squeezing reviews in just before I head to work, so here's a review of "Under My Skin", a five-track EP from Phoenix, AZ based Reactions. The band is a quartet who have released their EP on their own, and on it they harness a fairly easily accessible type of modern hard rock which is comparable to the sound of bands like I Am Empire and These Green Eyes. Their twist on this sound comes in the form of loading the bridge sections of their songs with pseudo-heavy breaks and metalcore growls, and if you think I make that sound a bit cheap and calculated then it's because I think it sounds a bit cheap and calculated it (sorry lads, calling it as I hear it).

However, in itself "Under My Skin EP" is a fairly decent sounding production for a young band like Reactions, and one must acknowledge that the five songs on offer demonstrate a confident grip on the ins and outs of dynamic songwriting, so it would seem that there's a foundation to build on for further records. It's just that unfortunately, there isn't really any department on here in which Reactions excell enough to deserve being mentioned alongside some of the more quickly rising - or more firmly established - names in the genre. Songs like opener "Nightmares" and closer "Bones" may be moderately catchy while you have them on, but personally, I don't see myself listening to them even a week from now. Whether it's originality, personality, some stronger melodies, some catchier phrases or some more impressive flourishes from either the instruments or the vocals, something's just missing here, and it hinders the EP to the point where I can't but think it's a somewhat average and forgetable release, even for fans of the genre.

Download: Nightmares, Bones,
For The Fans Of: I Am Empire, These Green Eyes, Anberlin, Sent By Ravens
Listen: facebook.com/reactionsmusic

Release Date 18.10.2011
Self-released

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