For a band from Sweden this is some of the most American sounding music I’ve heard in quite a while. Imagine the melancholic grunge of Alice in Chains by way of HIM and a light pinch of Megadeth (listen to those vocals and tell me you can’t hear a bit of Dave Mustaine in them!). It’s certainly an interesting mix, and one that should play very well across the Atlantic.
The first of the ten tracks, ‘One for the Nerves’ opens with a Slipknot-a-like riff circa ‘Vol.3 - The Subliminal Verses’ before going into the big sing-a-long chorus - I think some keyboards might give it a bit more oomph though. Track two ‘Love for the Music’ is definitely a page from Ville Valo’s book with it’s lead piano, and chugging riffs and big chorus with the added advantage of Erland Jegstad’s vocals being a lot more interesting than Mr Valo’s. ‘Wisconcin H.G.’ teases with a (not quite) Stone Sour riff with a few industrial drum loops added for good measure. ‘Ain’t Life Grand’ is a very dark song as Erland recites a tale of rape and murder over a sombre chugging track - an excellent effort. ‘Fortune’ on the other hand is a very dirty stop-and-start riff that somehow recalls early gODHEAD (sans the over saturated electronics) in its approach.
‘Viva Shevegas’ is, I’m sorry to say, a very silly title, but as it becomes apparent that the band have channelled the spirit of The 69 Eyes early Glam years it’s forgivable as you find yourself tapping your feet along to it. ‘Riot’ is more of a generic post-grunge/metal track - it’s all about the big chorus on this one. The title track has a bit more effort put into it with a riff that sounds rather close to the beginning of Iggy Pop’s ‘Now I Wanna Be Your Dog’ - the strong bass grove really drives this song throughout, and the emphasis on a sing-a-long chorus makes for a great all round song. ‘I’m Sorry’ lyrically is funny, but musically is damn catchy - keyboards are used here to tremendous effect to make the song stand out. The final song ‘Save Me’, has an opening sample very reminiscent of Type O Negative’s ‘Bloody Kisses’ (which is an instant thumbs up from me), the rest of the song seems to want to squeeze a few to many ideas in though and as a result starts and stops throughout.
Outshine have created a very cerebral mix of rock and metal here, and for a second album it is very impressive. There are a few areas that need a bit of polish - bringing the keyboards up in the mix and less over reliance on the chugging guitar sounds for example. But if it all goes well I could see these guys getting a foothold in the states… which might just help with the rent.
http://www.myspace.com/theoutshine
