There is a time in a bands career when they make the leap from one album to the next and actually have a markedly different progression in sound. The most immediate example I can think of is Reel Big Fish – a band who blasted onto the scene in the mid-nineties with a brand of pop-filled ska which set the world alight. Eight years later and you’re almost forced to play a game of ‘spot the horn’ as they move away towards a new ‘rockier’ sound. Appease have gone through a similiar transition. ‘The Importance of Emo’ had a cliched title but was actually a half decent record which tugged away at the heartstrings enough times to make a permenant impression. But new EP ‘Act Five Scene Three’ is different, it’s harder and edgier, taking in Taking Back Sunday more than The Ataris.
‘So what?’ you’re probably asking. Well it’s all well and good if this sound shift is a natural progression, but when it’s forced and done to take advantage of any new found fad or craze, well, that’s not so clever. I personally think Appease sit rather snugly between both of these categories. At times the EP catches some of the old melodies rather well, but with a slash rather than a dainty flick, yet at others it is as if the band has simply read the post-hardcore rulebook and regurgitated each step. If you find a middle ground between the two (and yes that does mean I’m sitting on the fence) you have Appease.
Opener ‘Fragrance of Existence‘ is probably the best song on the album and features a mix of old and new. The opening minute or so is instantly recognisable as Appease as the guitar line flickers in and out of the vocal, but the chorus is harder and the singing seem edgier. Perhaps the most noticeable thing is that the drumming is so much better than on previous records – and of course there’s the predictable guitar breakdown parts with palm-muting aplenty. ‘Stephen’ is harsher still with a riff that is certainly darker than anything the band have done before. Musically there is a hint of Senses Fail about it, especially when the screaming backing vox kick in, but the vocals remain as melodic as they have always been, hence my sitting on the fence regarding the progression.
‘Lack of Confidence’ mixes old and new styles very well, sonically Appease sound different but with the vocals as consistently melodic you can’t really knock it. If you’re already an Appease fan then you will like this EP. Closer ‘Act Five Scene Three’ is more of the same, the dynamics of the introduction will probably work better in a live setting where I expect limbs flail and fly across the stage. It’s not a classic end to the record, but it is a solid finish to what is a decent EP.
‘Act Five Scene Three’ isn’t a bad record by any means, infact it’s actually quite a grower and I think in a live environment we may have quite a good band on our hands. The songs are catchy enough and while it’s not the most original material around it is done well. But I’m not completely convinced this is a natural progression and why I score it 3.5 and not 4. Maybe I’m wide of the mark, but with the genre already having reached saturation point you have to ask if there’s any more room for a good, but not great, band…
www.appease.org.uk
Paul