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Salvo

Tools To Kill With EP

Written by: PP on 01/08/2005 03:47:34

Salvo's sophomore EP "Tools To Kill With" shows some definite progress from the first one. The sound has become more metallic and slightly faster, and a lot more production has been put into the record. Still, it is easy to hear that the EP hasn't seen a proper studio - the raw, garage-ish sound causes the drums to fade to the background together with the bass, while the vocals and the dirtily distorted guitars steal the show.

Salvo has also taken a giant leap in songwriting. The old tunes that sounded cool back then start to sound almost amateurish after a few listens of "Tools To Kill With". The fast, punkish three chord riffs of "Heavy Sedative" work as the perfect choice for the opening track of the EP, and are closely followed by Salvo's trademark aggressive, off-tone vocals, that don't really fit into any genre; it's unlikely you'll have heard anything like them before. "Heavy Sedative" is closely followed by "Suck", the best track on the album. Its chorus sounds just as dark as the lyrics are ('Take what you need/Do what you have to/Lie and achieve/Whenever you have to/I'm not afraid/My eyes are open/Never believed us/Never a problem') and it's catchy as hell. After a few listens i found myself singing along the chorus while I was doing something completely different, without even noticing that the song on the background was by Salvo. And that, if something, is a good sign.

"A Million Watts" is probably the weakest song on the EP. It starts off with a killer bass line but that's pretty much all you can say about the song. It starts to repeat itself after the first verse and by two minutes into the song, the listener has a feeling that he just heard the same stuff before. Luckily, the EP doesn't fail because of just one song. "Customs" saves the day in the end. This is the song that sounds closest to what Salvo's first EP sounded like. In fact, the verse riff reminds me a lot of the one in "Faultline", the best track on the debut. Over five minutes of raw garagerock at it's best, finished off with a nearly two-minute avant-garde Sonic Youth-esque guitar solo. It's pure noise, but strangely enough it still makes sense and sounds amazing. A great finish for the home recorded EP. It's worth getting if nothing else but this one and "Suck". Independent labels, be notified. This band is UNSIGNED.

Download: Suck
For the fans of: The White Stripes, Bohica

Release date 01.08.2005
Self-Released