Band:
Jakob Samuel - vocals
Pontus Egberg – bass
Christian Lundqvist - drums
Henrik Bergqvist – guitars
Discography:
Metal Will Stand Tall (2006)
Sweet Trade (2007)
Clash of the Elements (2009)
No Quarter (2010)
Guests:
Info
Produced by Mats Valentin
Mixed by Tobias Lindell
Released 15/4-2011
Reviewed 2/4-2010
Links:
poodles.se
myspace
youtube
frontiers
The title is two words put together into Performocracy which mean something like rule by Performance, I did not care much to pay attention to what the labels said it meant but they said something along those lines. What the title mean really has no bearing anyway, especially if they cannot back it up, but maybe they can as they are said to be a very good live band, something that was not shown on the quite poor live album we reviewed last year but that’s history anyway. Musically we are of course lined up solidly in the melodic rock/metal genre which of course means very much focus on the melodies and the choruses that are designed to stick in the mind of the listener as fast as possible. The production signatured by Mats Valentin is as shiny and clean as a fresh bathed Dachshund.
Just like every other record I have ever heard in my life, this one starts with track one. This first track is a track to forget as fast as possible, but it is an expected first track which has a sound that is decently illustrative of what we are to hear on this album. You could say that this puppy opens in an expected way, with this track. Next track is way better, actually it is quite good this second track. Still, next track is even better so I quickly forget the second track and listen to Father to a Son which is a really good track that I like quite a bit and it could make any dog tail waggle a bit. It is too bad that the rest of the track is not in the same caliber as that just mentioned song.
There is one more tail waggling song which is the second to last song or the last depending apparently on which issue of the album you have, the last one on my issue is a bonus track. So this not last but sometimes last song is called Into the Quiet Night and is as I stated as song well worthy of a Scooby snack.
It is a really good album soundwise with a very clean and well sounding sound image, actually the production is impressive and the songs are decent with easy to take in choruses and good melodies but there are some problems that cannot be that easily overlooked which firstly are the fact that most of these songs sound more or less like anything else in the genre which makes it a bit like something you like while you play it but not something you chose to play when selecting something to play. Then there is the playing time, which is over fifty minutes even with the bonus track off the leash and escaped and overrun by a car and that is too long. Fifty minutes with songs that are siblings and therefore very similar to one another which makes the main feel of this album a wait for it to end even though the songs are decent. And thirdly, the vocalist is not very good. His voice is actually quite annoying and does not float my boat in the least, mostly he reminds me of a group of barking dogs. It has to be said though that he is quite good in the songs I have mentioned as really good.
In the end I think this album is good but it is at the same time a very safe album and it is also as unoriginal as they come. There are some real high notes, two to be precise and they are really good, almost amazing actually. These tracks save the album which in the end though mostly feel like a parenthesis or a dog owned by Richard Hammond for those who like another parable.
HHHHHHH
