Labels: Hollow Soul
Review by: Kunal Nandi
Axes are a quartet from in and around London. I’ve caught them live a couple of times and it’s been a highly enjoyable experience, even when you factor in the effect of booze (also known as critical faculty loosener). I was surprised by them because I got super burned-out on that instrumental, tricksy, million-riffs-a-minute kind of thing years ago. Usually it’s the band showing off with their “look at me fingertapping” expressions as they wrestle with their guitars instead of them making something with a shred of a soul to it. What sets Axes apart is that while they certainly have got the chops, they also rock out with some choice, catchy melodies within song structures that are busy but not overly so. I wonder whether the fact that half the band used to be in superb thrashy punk band Black Tax Statistic has an effect or not, but anyway, this double dose of tracks is just right for me and leaves me wanting more, although I do wonder how well it would work across an entire album. Anyway, this is a great start.
Axes
Hollow Soul