'Twas Hell Said Former Child,
BelvedereBelvedere have been in existence since 1995, yet until now they hadn’t officially released an album in Europe. The four-piece outfit have been touring their native Canada, and the US, for years, and have seen their popularity grow and grow. This rise in popularity led to a couple of jaunts to Europe, and finally an official album release. Household Name have licensed the band’s third album ‘Twas Hell Said Former Child’ and given it a couple of exclusive bonus tracks for good measure.
Belvedere may hail from Calgary, but they sound like they came from California. They have a great deal in common with many Californian skate punk bands, but they also have the added bonus of a much heavier element at times. They can be both supremely melodic and ferociously heavy in equal measures. This is a trump card that allows the band’s sound to stand out, even though they aren’t the most original of punk bands.
The album begins in fine style with ‘The Only Problem With Wishful Thinking’, a superb introduction to the band’s style. It’s a great track that features a heavy bass line, very speedy drumming, and is very infectious. It evokes memories of early Bad Religion, which is certainly no bad thing. ‘Excuse Me, Can I Use This Chair?’ sees the band stepping up a gear in both speed and song writing ability, as well as featuring one of the best guitar solos on the album. ‘It’s Tough To Be A Bully…’ has the band going into overdrive with a sub one-minute beast of a song, something they repeat later with ‘Cellophane Coffin’.
There are times though, when the band move from great songs to outstanding. ‘A Juxtaposition Of Action And Reason’ is one of the best examples of this. It’s fast, heavy and too catchy to describe. Words alone really can’t do this song justice. The superbly titled, ‘It’s Hard To Look Cool With Your Head Up Your Ass’ proves to be another occasion when the band get their mix of musical ingredients just right. Most of the songs on the album rattle past at around two minutes, and it is this speed that is the essence of the band. In fact the whole album, including the great bonus tracks, is done and dusted in under half an hour.
Belvedere are a great band and this is a great album. Hopefully the official European release of ‘Twas Hell Said Former Child’ will allow more people on this side of the Atlantic to experience their sound. Buy this for yourself and then buy it again for your mate who likes Good Charlotte. He doesn’t know any better, and you really should help him!
Mark
