"This Is The Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank"
(Richter Collective)
eight / ten
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ADEBISI SHANK "This Is The Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank" (Richter Collective) eight / ten |
It can only be a cause for celebration when an act comes along that sounds like the future, has the tricolour firmly attached to their mast, but doesn't have ambitions to soundtrack a makeout scene in the finale of One Tree Hill, The OC etc. This is a very rare occurrence indeed, so the arrival of Wexford three-piece Adebisi Shank's debut long player should be get- ting us all hot and bothered.
This Is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank is the reason for any borderline hyperbole which follows. That a band can be together for little over two years and sound like they're connected by some sort of Borg-like telepathic understanding is exceptional to say the least.
From the word go they up the ante from the equally imaginatively titled This Is The Cover Of The EP Of A Band Called... Opener 'You Me' comes flying out of the traps- lightning fast guitar work coupled with numerous shifts in style and dynamics is the order of the day. In fact it's hard to single out any of the eight tracks here; from 'Colin Skehan' to 'Shunk', frenetic hardcore /post rock comes roaring out of the speakers.
Though one is loath to make glib comparisons there are numerous reference points throughout; hints of Dysrhythmia, Battles and Redneck Manifesto come across, while certain moments on 'Minirockers' sound like an unholy mix of Dragonforce(!) and Don Caballero. Maximum kudos as well to guitarist Lar, whose bag of sonic tricks mark him out as heir to Tom Morello's throne.
There is one caveat for newcomers to the Shank though. Take time with this album, as the first few listens will give you the impression that the ingredients for these songs are being picked from the same shelf; repeated playing bears ultimate rewards.
It would be quite easy to lump numerous pieces of music together with gaffer tape and hope they stand up as a song, but time and again Adebisi Shank pull off the elusive trick of maintaining a cohesive, structured feel to their tunes. If album number one sounds this good, it will be very interesting to see just how great they can become. Over to you boys.
Alan Morrissey
www.myspace.com/adebisishank
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