It’s pretty clear that Eva Braun are five guys with a lot of anger inside them. And on this, their debut E.P. they really haven’t held back in making that clear. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts their music definitely shows how the local hardcore scene has influenced them as there are definite nods here to local heroes Give up the Ghost, Shadows Fall and Converge. Opener ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ is typically brutal, with a relentless double bass drum pounding solidly through much of the track. Characterised with various breakdowns, manic drumbeats and some pretty flamboyant guitar work, this is a pretty technical piece that holds itself together well.
Lyrically, Eva Braun takes no prisoners. ‘Dark’ doesn’t begin to describe, and judging by lines such as ‘There’s no business like the business of destroying everything you love’ and ‘Fuck the world. A feast for tumours, a cradle for piss’, you get the distinct impression they haven’t grown up listening to pop-punk and songs about your girlfriend cheating on you. While the record continues in the same vein throughout, standout tracks would have to be the CD opener and ‘The most modern of art’. The latter takes a much more stripped down form than the other songs, and the punk rhythms show the band going right to the roots of their Boston scene.
There’s no doubt this EP is a pretty brutal affair. It’s not something that’s ever really got a chance of mainstream success, yet its savage beauty is sure to win Eva Braun an army of fans in the hardcore crowd. This is car crash music at its best.
Andrew