Two things to note before I crack on with the review. Firstly, sending sweets and chocolates in with a CD when asking for a review is always a nice touch. Especially anything Mars or Dairy Milk related. While we’re never bribed (oh no!), it’s always a nice touch when people write hand-written notes appreciating what you do. Secondly, after I’d scoffed the chocs I realised One Room Down were influenced by, and I quote, “The Wildhearts, Metallica, Limp bizkit, Iron Maiden & Faith No More.” Not exactly the recipe for a great review on a site like this…
Thankfully One Room Down are a classic example of the old adage ‘never judge a book by its cover’, because while there are some metal influences, there’s not a dodgy red cap or ill-placed rap in sight. Combining the melodies of a pop-punk band with some slightly more metal guitar, One Room Down are actually pretty good. Certainly rough around the edges, but they know how to write a good song and in Al Muir they have a vocalist who has a decent voice. ‘Nothing’ and the EP’s title track are both good songs that stand out amongst the drivel we usually get sent. As a taster EP this has whet my apetite enough to make sure I stick their next record to the top of the pile if it gets sent for review, so in that sense it has done the trick. ORD don’t do anything new or exciting, but they’re very solid and have produced four good songs worthy of checking out.
www.oneroomdown.com
Paul