Review by Andy Valentine
There’s a sound going on in music right now that I’m ashamed to admit I kind of enjoy, sometimes. It’s the sound of whiny teenage vocals pining over the loss of some chick over music that, if you didn’t know any better, kind of, sort of, sounds like metal. Examples of bands in this category are Underoath, Saosin, and Anberlin. Don’t get me wrong, these are not metal bands. But there’s no denying that there is some legitimate metal influence to the sound.
In my opinion the best of breed in this category is Lostprophets, from the UK. Lostprophets does the whiny teenage thing to a fault, but a drop of a hat they can sound like what Anthrax would sound like if they still had a passion for making music. Lostprophets is good shit.
So now we’ve got another “whiny teenage faux metal” band jumping in the mix in the form of Last Winter, from Orlando. Their debut, Under the Silver of Machines delivers everything you’d expect from a band like this, and nothing more. There’s the initial thrash grooved opening riff of “The Violent Things” and the upbeat music video friendly pinings of “Kiss So Hard.” Let me be clear, there is nothing revolutionary on this album, but if you happen to be a fan of this particular subgenre, there are some decent tunes to be found on this album.
Thematically, this album deals with exactly what you’d expect it to. Teenage love and loss. Romantically staring up at the Milky Way from Illinois, or some such sentimental bullshit. It’s predictable, simple, and a little overdone. Basically, these guys don’t have any songs that are about anything that actually… matters. Not necessarily a bad thing, but there a decided lack of emotional depth here that immediately shows through on the very last listen.
This is the kind of music you hear in the background of MTV’s The Real World. And I mean that is the worst way possible.
Essentially, Under the Silver of Machines is an enjoyable album for the time that it lasts. Likely, it will stay in rotation in my office for less than a month, and then disappear into the archives. It’s fun while it lasts, but there’s nothing to Last Winter’s debut that’s going to make you dig through your collection to find it 5 years from now. Here’s to hoping that on their follow-up, Last Winter take more chances with their songwriting.