Artist: The Culprit
Title: The Culprit
Type: Album
Label: Not On Your Radio
The Culprit label themselves as “synth rock,” which is quite unfortunate in the sense that I was expecting something a bit more…out there. Perhaps something closer to industrial than this, or something. Synths are certainly used on this record, but they just don’t play a massive role as one might expect. ‘Welcome To…’ opens things up with a distant guitar sound that could go in any direction, and soon breaks in with a strong drum and bass rhythm with synths swimming around in the mix and vocals given a rather uncomfortable distorted effect. As soon as the first track proper, ‘Blackball’ kicks in though, we can establish what The Culprit really are about. With huge hooks, rockin’ rhythms and catchy choruses, this stuff is ready-made for radio airplay whether you like it or not!
‘Kill Or Cure’ is one of my personal faves on this album; I love its funky jazzed-up rhythm and this shows they have the confidence to break the mould. It has an energetic bounce that will have all but the most sombre of metal fans rocking on the dancefloor after a few drinks. ‘Reboot’ follows and assumes a much more mellowed out vibe – never mind getting up to dance, this has more of a 2AM “I’m really pished (sic) (or should that be hic?), zonked out on a sofa in the corner and can’t remember how to get home” kinda vibe with its reverb-heavy guitars and synths fizzling and cracking in the mix.
The vocals are very pleasant and accessible – there’s no growling, and Tom Gittins delivery is clean and in-tune yet ballsy enough to be not considered emo. ‘All In The Eyes’ has some layered vocal lines that add depth, while musically it has a great, rollicking groove. ‘Birthmark’ ends on an atmospheric high, with more reverb-y guitars and a reflective vibe. The cover of ‘What Is Love?’ is annoyingly catchy and will soon carve itself a place in your short-term memory whether you like it or not. Overall this is an enjoyable album with great potential for mainstream success - full of catchy, upbeat tracks that rock!
http://www.myspace.com/theculprit1
