Energy - Invasions of the Mind

Artist: Energy

Album: Invasions of the Mind

Label: Bridge9

Energy describes itself as a melodic hardcore band influenced by "everything," at which point they go on to drop big names like their going out of style including "Death Before Dishonor, Strike Anywhere, Modern Life Is War, Agnostic Front, Ignite, Comeback Kid, Crime In Stereo, Converge, Set Your Goals." While at first I was tempted to dismiss this claim of universality, after one listen it struck me: here is a band clearly influenced by various hardcore acts like (early) crime in stereo and converge - both styles I tend to avoid by choice (not my cup of tea) - yet I thoroughly enjoyed enjoyed the outing.  Evidently their claim to expansive influences holds some merit if this old-school punk-rock enthusiast can not only tolerate, but enjoy the album.

The vocals play a key part in the band's accessibility. Rather than using an indecipherable piercing howl (again, not my cup of tea), the vocalist sounds reminiscent of the early 2000's pop-punk acts that sprung up around Taking Back Sunday.  Occasionally the backing vocalist contributes some Comeback Kid-esque growls, but they keep within the melodic backdrop rather than taking centre stage. While tracks like "Hail the Size of Grapes" keep fast tempos and intense drumming clearly inspired by influences like 7 Seconds or Ignite, Energy also explores its more experimental, modern Crime in Stereo influenced roots.  Instrumental tracks like "Revelations" play with acoustic strumming, spoken word, and fragmented compositions not unlike Look Mexico's This is Animal Music.

To categorize Energy as simply another "melodic hardcore band" is a mistake, but at the same time, their debut lacks many distinctive or memorable moments. With the exception of the exceptional "400" and its grand choruses, remove the instrumental intros and outros and many of the tracks become indistinguishable from each other. The lyrical content is vague and overly descriptive. Most of the songs explore something about falling into or trying to climb out of a doomed state, and while at times the band has some original and pseudo-poetic moments, one can't help but be reminded of every other generic hardcore band discussing "fears," "sickness," and falling from grace.

Still, give it a chance and it might just grow on you.