ELITE : REVIEW
ELITE : REVIEW
311 - Mosaic BMG | Release Date : 23rd June 2017
Since the early 90s , Omaha 5-piece 311 have managed to gain a hardcore cult following through their unique blend of reggae , rock and funk-metal . With every album they have stuck to their blueprint but have also experimented with their sound . Mosaic , the band ’ s 12th studio album has some good examples for both cases among its 17 tracks . Album opener Too Much To Think , Island Sun and Inside Our Home provide the more chilled , Sublime-like reggae vibes whilst highlights like Perfect Mistake , Too Late and The Night Is Young showcase some of the heaviest riffs that Nick Hexum ( vocals / guitar ) and Tim Mahoney ( guitar ) have possibly ever produced . ‘ Til The City ’ s On Fire is possibly the album ’ s most pop-sounding track , similar to No Doubt ’ s later more dancehall influenced work . As catchy and enjoyable as these all are , the majority feels overproduced due to unnecessary dubstep “ wubs ” and other such modern music traits . Even Chad Sexton ’ s iconic drumming sounds programmed in parts . There is also a recurring use of long build-ups which gets old pretty quickly . Despite these faults , there is the sexy and soulful Places That The Mind Goes , the erratic and bombastic One And The Same and the funky Days of ‘ 88 , which sees co-vocalist / DJ / rapper SA Martinez take lead vocals on a Living Colour-style jam . These all help bring a little needed variety to the table that really showcase the band ’ s talents and creativity . Mosaic might not be a groundbreaking modern classic for 311 , but there are enough songs on it that pleasantly surprise and almost counter-balance the disappointments and obvious attempts at attracting Millennials .
Faces of Eve - Self-titled Release Date : 25th August 2017
Faces of Eve are a hugely unconventional band . They blend soulful , Jonny Craig inspired vocals with djlike groove metal . A strange mix on paper , but the Hertfordshire band manage to create something sonically fresh on this debut LP .
The sense of expectation for convention throughout is regularly blasted out the water . For example , their songs regularly build up and up with the expectation of a breakdown to follow , but FoE go into more melodic , mellow sounds instead . This is a sign of intelligent song composition , and the more frequently your expectation is stifled , the more attention you pay to the tracks .
Opening track Sanctuary for Heavy Hearts is probably the best arrangement on the LP , it blends catchy hooks seamlessly into their interesting sound . Unfortunately this isn ’ t consistent throughout the record ; Benjamin Black is clearly an incredibly capable vocalist , but at times on this record it seems as though he still has some room for improvement . A little more bite , passion and catchy vocal hooks throughout could really push Faces of Eve towards an even more promising future , but that ’ s not to do the band a discredit ! The self titled LP is a fantastic first step into their musical journey , and there are a lot of ingredients present success .
The future looks promising for these guys , so keep your eyes and ears peeled !
Words by Kris Aarre
Words by Jonathan Miller
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