Break Anchor – Black Hearts And Blackouts

By Tom Aylott

Jay Navarro of The Suicide Machines and more recently Hellmachines is back with his latest venture. This time there isn’t any crossover thrash or ska-punk jams, but something drenched in so much more melody than either of his previous outfits. After enlisting various members from bands such as The Story So Far and Seized Up, a three track seven inch, ‘Black Hearts & Blackouts’, has been released as the bands premiere output.

‘All I Have’ begins the EP with a frustrated tale of dissatisfaction with working life, and hating how “Everything is money.” The Hot-Water-Music-style dual vocal approach of Jay Navarro and Kyle Green works well enough, and carries the track just about through it’s two minute life span. Things get a little better on ‘Can We Pretend’ though, the strongest track of the record. It’s the only song that really succeeds in really getting you excited for the band, armed with much more interesting guitar parts and fuelled by lyrics many times better than the track before it.

The first song that Navarro wrote for the band, ‘A Failure Of Epic Proportions’, finishes everything off. It’s a lot longer than everything else on the record and drags on a fair bit. That said, you can envisage that this will go down a storm live – with a chorus of yelling “I’M FAILING” along with Navarro at countless shows to come.

It’s not exactly the freshest sound you’ve ever heard, and they’re certainly doing nothing new. But that’s really not the point of Break Anchor whatsoever. It’s much more about having a few  drinks, throwing a middle finger to the world and having someone else’s beer chucked in your face, all to the soundtrack of these four gentlemen.

JAMES FOX

Three more album reviews for you

Fortune Teller – ‘PREMONITIONS’

While She Sleeps - 'SELF HELL'

USA Nails – ‘FEEL WORSE’