Lucubro - Demo
By Mark Bridgeman
This femme-fronted four-piece from Masachussets have here an impressive 4-track EP. Opener 'Held Within' has some strong Anathema-ic groove to it with Jeff's spiralling melody notes keeping everything afloat. A fine opener, with Krista's vox being a refreshing break from norm - a female singer who just SINGS, instead of trying to emulate the other (few) successful fem-vox members of the metal world.
'Heaven Can Wait' could've been copied right from the Alice In Chains scrapbook of slow, haunting doom rock with an (unfortunate) generic stoner chug through the main sections. There are already too many bands trying to be the next Sabbath (and some doing it much better), so it's a pity Lucubro didn't continue on with the opening sounds, but had to go the fuzz-route.
'Afraid To Be Alone' is like a mixture of the two previous tracks - still heavy on the fuzz, but with a much-needed energy burst. Let down a little by a drummer who's a bit crash heavy, but it definitely has a groove to it. Krysta could do with tightening her phrasing a little, but she's doing a damn site better job than many other heavy rock vocalists I hear.
'Another World' is 3-chord garage rock which, if given a chance in a better studio, could stand a chance in the indie radio circuit. As it is here now, the hooks are unfortunately hidden beneath production that falls short of what it could (and needs to) be.
As a demo, this EP shows the various faces of the band, and they're heading in the right direction if they're wanting a place in the alternative rock scene. Better production would help bring out the songs that are already worth hearing.
7/10
By Mark Bridgeman
This femme-fronted four-piece from Masachussets have here an impressive 4-track EP. Opener 'Held Within' has some strong Anathema-ic groove to it with Jeff's spiralling melody notes keeping everything afloat. A fine opener, with Krista's vox being a refreshing break from norm - a female singer who just SINGS, instead of trying to emulate the other (few) successful fem-vox members of the metal world.
'Heaven Can Wait' could've been copied right from the Alice In Chains scrapbook of slow, haunting doom rock with an (unfortunate) generic stoner chug through the main sections. There are already too many bands trying to be the next Sabbath (and some doing it much better), so it's a pity Lucubro didn't continue on with the opening sounds, but had to go the fuzz-route.
'Afraid To Be Alone' is like a mixture of the two previous tracks - still heavy on the fuzz, but with a much-needed energy burst. Let down a little by a drummer who's a bit crash heavy, but it definitely has a groove to it. Krysta could do with tightening her phrasing a little, but she's doing a damn site better job than many other heavy rock vocalists I hear.
'Another World' is 3-chord garage rock which, if given a chance in a better studio, could stand a chance in the indie radio circuit. As it is here now, the hooks are unfortunately hidden beneath production that falls short of what it could (and needs to) be.
As a demo, this EP shows the various faces of the band, and they're heading in the right direction if they're wanting a place in the alternative rock scene. Better production would help bring out the songs that are already worth hearing.
7/10
