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Water Music - 'Exister' - RISE Records
I
often find myself slightly on the fence with HWM; while half of their
stuff is pure gold, and some of the greatest punk-rock I've ever
heard, a lot of it can do very little for me, largely what I'd refer
to as their more 'experimental' stuff. Thankfully, 'Exister', their
first album in eight years, turned out to be a really solid,
consistent album. 'Drag My Body' and 'State of Grace', both of which
I would file under the 'pure gold' category, are probably still my
favourites on here (having heard them in the weeks leading up to this
release), along with the last track 'Paid in Full', the last chorus
of which has a notably incredible vocal take! I think it's a little
less experimental than some previous albums, most songs having quite
a powerful, and structurally prominent chorus, which really helps
drive the whole thing; it never really slows down, and feels really
strong from start to finish, the production no doubt helping there.
Jason Black, one of punk-rock's most bad-ass bassists is on form
again with killer fills on the lower end throughout, and Chuck's
sandpaper vocals are as characteristic as ever. If you're a HWM fan,
no doubt you'll already have this; if you're also a little on the
fence, I'd definitely recommend giving this a blast; if you've never
heard them, check out 'Drag My Body', and be amazed. (Lee)
