Jerkstore

The Road Ends

Written by: PP on 07/04/2012 05:19:39

First of all, who the hell names their band Jerkstore? In what line of thought does that name sound a) cool b) marketable c) like one that would arouse fan/reviewer interest? No wonder we've never heard about the Aalborg-based hard rock band Jerkstore in the past despite "The Road Ends" being their fifth studio album to date. Another reason might be that their chosen genre has been dead for a long while now, and it is debatable if it was ever really alive in Denmark to start out with.

Taking their cues from grunge and post-grunge, Jerkstore mix in elements of thrash metal, mainstream rock, radio rock, and hard-hitting groove rock (think Down etc) together in an album that offers absolutely no consistency despite a few catchy songs that have this scribe raising his eyebrows in surprise. Because while the opening track "Till The Day We Have To Depart" sounds like Soundgarden (given how closely their singer mirrors Chris Cornell's smokey style) and "Dying All Over" demonstrates their ability to write aggressive riffs while retaining the post-grunge vibe, overall "The Road Ends" radiates a feeling of lame much like their band name, a vibe that makes Jerkstore sound like they're at least a decade late if not more with their sound.

The criticism may be unfair to some extent, given how the band are actually capable of writing rather good songs in their chosen style. But writing a decent song in a genre deemed dead long ago won't help them sound relevant or interesting for today's audience, and hence "The Road Ends" just feels a tad bit pointless. That's also why its shortcomings are magnified, such as the inconsistency between the strong single material and the oh-so-typical filler that you tend to encounter with radio rock bands that they are influenced by. The problem is, however, that Jerkstore aren't being played on the radio, and aren't on the radar by, well, pretty much anyone in Denmark at the moment, and I don't see any of that changing based on "The Road Ends".

6

Download: Till The Day We Have To Depart, Dying All Over
For the fans of: Soundgarden, Helmet, Seether
Listen: Myspace

Release date 01.02.2012
Angry Earthling

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