I’m a great believer in the first song of any record being one of the best – after all, first impressions count and when you hear as many records as we do, that intial listen can really be make or break. Unfortunately for Koda, ‘5’6’s’ is their worst song by quite some way, with turgid and predictable guitar work and some very average vocals. It didn’t really encourage me to want to listen on. However, it soon becomes apparent the first song is the worst and the band are better than that track would suggest. They are far from the finished article though, even if ‘Innocence Got Lost In The Transition‘ would suggest they are capable of far more than they’ve managed to put down on CD.
When the band push themselves, and the rythmns are a little faster, they sound much better for it. The drumming is particularly solid throughout and while the vocals are hit and miss, they’re more hit on the second song. The guitars are pretty weak throughout however, they’re not well recorded and the guitar tone leaves it sounding a little light. ‘Fate’ isn’t too bad either, although again it could be better. In the general scheme of things Koda appear to be a band with obvious talent, but they’ve not quite worked out how to get the best out of their abilities.
By the time ‘Requiem‘ comes around, I’m not so much bored, but relieved the end has arrived. They do sound like quite a lot of other bands, but don’t have enough of their own imprint to make a lasting mark. There are some elements that sound good but a lot of work needs to be done to make the band anything more than another run-of-the-mill local band, which sadly is all they are right now.
www.kodaonline.co.uk
Paul