Roof Attack are swiftly rising from the cluster
of Nottingham's impressive rock acts as the band most likely
to escape from the shadows of their influences. Amongst
the heady brew of britrock, grunge, metal and emo, the
two most important things remain dominant - their own sound,
and some great songs. Opener "String" is a prime
example of this - just as the tangled guitar lines of the
introduction are suggesting something from the Dischord
label, we are suddenly uprooted by a grinding riff reminiscent
of Kerbdog's gritty brit-grunge, and then again by one
far more suited to the melodic atmospherics of Tool. By
the time we've reached the angry grace of the middle eight
(by which point we're in Sunny Day Real Estate territory),
it would almost feel like a guided tour of quality alternative
rock of the nineties, were it not for the measured ease
and coherency with which these
nostalgic punches are thrown.
Elsewhere on the demo we are treated to a prog-grunge extravaganza ("Sphere")
crammed full of grinding riffs, and a trio of nicely weighty, melodic post-hardcore
tracks ("Hand Down" "Word Shadows", and "To Me And You" -
the latter two not dissimilar from Douglas' recent output). And although the
sound quality is a little muddy (this is a demo, after all) the sheer quality
of the song-writing and performances are indisputable.
There just aren't many bands around who are crafting songs like this at the moment,
yet alone thumping them out with such majesty. We await the next recordings with
a rabid grungy hunger.
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