Firstly, check the spelling. Scar, not scare. Makes a helluva difference if you’re trying to find them online. Jus’ sayin’….
With a debut album. named after a marginally obscure horror film, a song called ‘It Can’t Rain All The Time’ and lots of eyeliner in the promo photo you’d be guessing at either some goth metal or an Alice Cooper type event. Well I guess it’s a stab at a bit of both.
A spooky in a b-movie kinda way introduction stomps into first track proper ‘S.W.T.W.C.A.’ (Something Wicked This Way Comes Again, I’m guessing) which is a workmanlike song if I’m honest. The gruff vocals are OK I guess, the riff serviceable, gang backing vocals but the song nothing to grab you. ‘Blood Brother’ follows the same path but with some hideously over-triggered sounding drums annoying the hell out of me. Plus the production, if you can really call it that, is flat as Formica; more good demo than debut album.
‘Children Of The Crow’ kinda highlights all the problems here. A slow, atmospheric idea which bizarrely sounds very Amebix / Tau Cross but the lower lead vocals sound weak, but the higher cleaner vocals are actually rather guys. The children’s choir though is flat, off key and not good. Oh and the lyrics are a bit lumpy too.
Jeez I sound like a fucking grump. The problem here though for me is a very common one in these days of easy access and relatively speaking cheap recording; most of the issues here are the sort of thing you work out in demos and rehearsals so shouldn’t make it to albums. Premature release? Yeah, it sounds like that to me.
You see this is far from talentless, hopeless or lacking ideas. I mean ‘Wolf In Sheep’s Clothin’ has a real spark, a nice catchy riff and the vocals work very well. Same for the odd, slow burning ‘Mr Lee’ with the cleaner vocals and some nicely picked guitar and restrained drumming.
Just…look for me this needs serious tightening up in all areas including putting more snap into the song-writing – too many riffs are standard mid paced hard rock/metal templates and need a sharp crack, the spark of life to make the horror show lyrics crackle and burn. Energy.
There is good stuff here as I say, but as it stands this is more full length demo than finished article for me. Sorry.
(4/10 Gizmo)
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