This demo was actually sent in for consideration for Punktastic Recordings, but I find that if I’m going to critique a band I may as well post a review too and save myself the hassle of doing one again in the future. Clip The Apex are another young band from the bulging Manchester scene that is currently bursting with talent, although CTA aren’t one of those that I would hotly tip for 2006. ‘Astronaughts and Crosses’ is a really basic three-track demo which is riddled with cliches, poor structures and basic ability.
I can’t really put my finger on who Clip The Apex sound like to be honest, they’re just not all that great. The vocals during ‘Seeing Is Believing’ are awful and forced, the screaming disgracefully generic and the structure makes it sound badly recorded and rushed. ‘The Art of Reflection’ rips off a Senses Fail guitar riff (but the band don’t sound like SF) before running into a vocal line that uses a vocoder for some horrific reason. Just because Cher can pull it off does not mean a young band from the north-west can do the same.
People have started to complain that we’ve been harsh to a lot of young bands recently and I’ll admit that we have – but it’s not for no good reason. The Punktastic reviewing staff don’t claim to have an all-seeing, all-hearing opinion greater than anyone elses; all we have is a pair of ears and our own thoughts. We can only comment on what we hear. Unfortunately for CTA what I hear really isn’t too hot at all and I’d honestly recommend going back to the drawing board and dissecting what they are trying to do. There’s a lack of power and passion, no killer choruses and the screams are just so horribly forced and misplaced they detract from the songs even further. With so many other promising local acts, CTA will get lost in the crowd without immediate improvement.
www.cliptheapexonline.com
Paul