Farmer Boys - The Other Side
Nuclear Blast - NB 1177-2 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
Who says that the Germans don't have a sense of humour? What else could possibly account for a metal band deciding to give themselves such a stultifyingly ridiculous name as Farmer Boys, and then further compunding the hilarity by calling their first two releases Countrified and Till The Cow Comes Home? My sides! But seriously, we're not actually dealing with some wacky-ass 'look we're mental' novelty band, despite the risible nomenclature. In fact, Farmer Boys offer up a rather more interesting proposition - a blend of 80s-style electro pop, stadium rock structures (soaring choruses and anthemic stomps), nu-metal chuggy rhythms, and a quasi-progressive element to their songwriting that creates something pretty unique, if a little inconsistent.
The tracks run the gamut from Linkin Park-meets-U2 rockers ('Like Jesus Wept'), slightly thrashier numbers such as 'Once And For All', a contemplative Radiohead-esque ballad that starts to incorporate a Depeche Mode ambience before delivering a punchy chorus ('In My Darkest Hour')... I think you see where I'm going here. There's a startling amount of inventiveness and musical ability at play here - the guitars aren't particularly technical, but they never need to be as it wouldn't fit the emotional context of the songs.
And 'emotional' is really the key word here. While the album may lack cohesion as a collection of songs, the common thread linking all of the tracks is the emotional content behind them all. The singer's pleasantly melodic voice is complimented by the generally bare, simplistic guitars and the ambience provided by the electronic elements during heartfelt numbers, or beefed up with crunchy P.O.D.-like riffs and euro-dance loops in electro-metal numbers like 'Stay Like This Forever'.
However, emotion alone does not a great album make, and personally I reckon a tighter rein on all of the influences at work on this album could tighten Farmer Boys into a a unit with the potential to break big in the mainstream, since there's a wide and lucrative vein of commercial melodicism to be tapped here. The band are naturally skilled songwriters, they could just do with settling on a style.
6/10
Farmer Boys Official Website (German)
Nuclear Blast Website
Nuclear Blast - NB 1177-2 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
Who says that the Germans don't have a sense of humour? What else could possibly account for a metal band deciding to give themselves such a stultifyingly ridiculous name as Farmer Boys, and then further compunding the hilarity by calling their first two releases Countrified and Till The Cow Comes Home? My sides! But seriously, we're not actually dealing with some wacky-ass 'look we're mental' novelty band, despite the risible nomenclature. In fact, Farmer Boys offer up a rather more interesting proposition - a blend of 80s-style electro pop, stadium rock structures (soaring choruses and anthemic stomps), nu-metal chuggy rhythms, and a quasi-progressive element to their songwriting that creates something pretty unique, if a little inconsistent.
The tracks run the gamut from Linkin Park-meets-U2 rockers ('Like Jesus Wept'), slightly thrashier numbers such as 'Once And For All', a contemplative Radiohead-esque ballad that starts to incorporate a Depeche Mode ambience before delivering a punchy chorus ('In My Darkest Hour')... I think you see where I'm going here. There's a startling amount of inventiveness and musical ability at play here - the guitars aren't particularly technical, but they never need to be as it wouldn't fit the emotional context of the songs.
And 'emotional' is really the key word here. While the album may lack cohesion as a collection of songs, the common thread linking all of the tracks is the emotional content behind them all. The singer's pleasantly melodic voice is complimented by the generally bare, simplistic guitars and the ambience provided by the electronic elements during heartfelt numbers, or beefed up with crunchy P.O.D.-like riffs and euro-dance loops in electro-metal numbers like 'Stay Like This Forever'.
However, emotion alone does not a great album make, and personally I reckon a tighter rein on all of the influences at work on this album could tighten Farmer Boys into a a unit with the potential to break big in the mainstream, since there's a wide and lucrative vein of commercial melodicism to be tapped here. The band are naturally skilled songwriters, they could just do with settling on a style.
6/10
Farmer Boys Official Website (German)
Nuclear Blast Website
