As I pick up this CD the first thing I notice is the excellent inlays and professional CD cover. The artwork really grabs your attention and I liked the fact I could read their lyrics, especially as I later found on listening that it was hard to heard all the vocals. First song 'Slave To The Machine' kicks in it with some nice screeching guitar that is interchanged with the powerful bass lines and chugging riffs. The drums and bass really push the songs forward and the guitar fits in very smoothly to give their music a really good vibe. The song starts very well, but I felt the mix on the vocals wasn't as good as it might have been. The lyrics I could hear sounded good but there was a funny effect and I am not sure if this was to hide the singer's voice or just a dodgy production. Musically however the song built well and even though the vocal patterns are a little obvious, the hook lines to all their songs are catchy, powerful and the music has a consistent drive and umph to it. It would sound great if the vocal was as powerful as the music. Title track 'Lying Again' continues the powerful rock feel with a more eerie edge and some nice changes on guitar. Sadly the mix especially on the vocals is poor again and once more I can't make out the lyrics, apart from in the chorus where they come in full pelt. Anticure really have quite a interesting sound with a mix of Metallica style solos, big glam punk riffs and real thought out hooks, this gives their songs a catchy and powerful style. Some songs sounded too similar to others though and there was no really surprises in their sound after the first few tracks but they still have a really upbeat rock n roll drive to their music, which did keep my foot tapping. This band has a sound which should appeal to a variety of rock music fans and with some good lyrics they do have potential to do very well, but I would really like to hear a recording with a decent vocal mix and maybe a little more experimentation.
Review by Gaz
