Continuing on with the trend of reviewing records by bands I’ve never heard of, here is the last release by Dropnose before they unfortunately split up. But this Swedish threesome left this world with a good little EP that is really worth a listen.
Opener ‘Left For Dead’ starts to the sounds of gunshots and a woman’s screams before kicking off with all guns blazing, throwing in some furiously fast drumming into the mix of their skate punk sound. The quality of the recording isn’t that good to be honest, a Blink 182 style production this is not, and this does retract from your listening pleasure a little bit. However, the track is good enough over its near three minute duration to convince you to listen on. And you’ll be glad that you did, because ‘A Constant Reminder’ is another sonic assault on the ears. With some desperate sounding vocals, this track is reminiscent of Lobster Records newest signings Park.
‘Demon’ continues the dark themes the band are famed for, and nods towards bands that have obviously influenced them, such as The Satanic Surfers and Ten Foot Pole. The desperation in the vocals is apparent again, to the point where you really feel that vocalist Iz really does have something to sing about. ‘With Nothing Left Over’ is again fast and furious, with drummer Iz, who also handles the singing duties in a Snuff stylee, really hammering his kit into submission. The addition of backing vocals also add that little extra quality, even if at just 84 seconds, the track is over a little too quick.
Penultimate track ‘More Or Less’ sounds like Millencolin, which is understandable as this lot are the same nationality as their compatriots. It’s not that great a track, possibly the weakest, but it’s likeable enough. ‘The Will To Power’ though is by far the best song, using all the melody they can muster to force out a little skate punk classic-in-the-making. Again Iz pounds the kit harder than you’d previously thought possible, and it is a fine way of closing things up.
Dropnose won’t set the world alight, but this is a pleasant enough EP that is certainly worth a listen. It can be purchased by visiting www.bombedout.co.uk