Dirty Shirt - Different/Revolution-
Self released - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Well, I'm not entirely sure how big the Romanian industrial metal scene was previous to this release, but it's ranks have just swelled by one. Dirty Shirt have been kicking around since 1996, trying their hands at a variety of styles of rock and metal before (presumably) settling on their current incarnation as an intriguing amalgamation of Depeche Mode-esque alternative/electro, Nine Inch Nails-like industrial rock spikiness and Rammstein-styled chugging guitars, with a touch of dancey EBM about it as well. This disc comprises Dirty Shirt's two most recent demo releases, Different and the earlier Revolution.
The production alone kind of signals that this group are a demo band, rendering the sound somewhat thin and robbing the heavier passages of some of the punch that could have made them quite devastating to listen to, but lack of punch left aside, the mix is quite clear and the industrial elements shine through very well. The songs contained within the two demos are pretty diverse too, going from dense, chuggy industrial bludgeoning ('Revolution') to quite atmospheric and relaxing ('Rise'), whilst also touching on more commercial electro climes from time to time.
There are some good riffs, and from time to time a pretty good hook raises it's head above the parapet, but sadly there's not much that really grabs the attention about Dirty Shirt. The vocal performance leaves a little to be desired, and the structures of the songs lack dynamics. There's potential here, but it hasn't really been unearthed as yet.
5.5/10
Dirty Shirt's Official Website
Self released - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Well, I'm not entirely sure how big the Romanian industrial metal scene was previous to this release, but it's ranks have just swelled by one. Dirty Shirt have been kicking around since 1996, trying their hands at a variety of styles of rock and metal before (presumably) settling on their current incarnation as an intriguing amalgamation of Depeche Mode-esque alternative/electro, Nine Inch Nails-like industrial rock spikiness and Rammstein-styled chugging guitars, with a touch of dancey EBM about it as well. This disc comprises Dirty Shirt's two most recent demo releases, Different and the earlier Revolution.
The production alone kind of signals that this group are a demo band, rendering the sound somewhat thin and robbing the heavier passages of some of the punch that could have made them quite devastating to listen to, but lack of punch left aside, the mix is quite clear and the industrial elements shine through very well. The songs contained within the two demos are pretty diverse too, going from dense, chuggy industrial bludgeoning ('Revolution') to quite atmospheric and relaxing ('Rise'), whilst also touching on more commercial electro climes from time to time.
There are some good riffs, and from time to time a pretty good hook raises it's head above the parapet, but sadly there's not much that really grabs the attention about Dirty Shirt. The vocal performance leaves a little to be desired, and the structures of the songs lack dynamics. There's potential here, but it hasn't really been unearthed as yet.
5.5/10
Dirty Shirt's Official Website
