‘Brand New Breed’ is clearly aimed at a specific market; although not directly following the paths laid out by their equally as theatrical contemporaries PEEPSHOW are not only writing music which may appeal to the “emo” stereotype but also marketing themselves in that direction. In a musical climate where goth-tinged emotional rock is seemingly on the way out, and those that remain are extremely loyal to bands such as BLACK VEIL BRIDES, ‘Brand New Breed’ needs to accomplish the almost-impossible to make a mark. Unfortunately the record quickly becomes a victim of its own extravagance.
Consisting of fourteen tracks and coming in at just under an hour, PEEPSHOW deliver a marathon of a record. There are a select few bands who are able to carry a record of this magnitude, however the adolescent style which forms ‘Brand New Breed’ only becomes more shallow as the LP continues. Regrettably the majority of the musical accomplishment is lost in a mixture of pristine production and repetitive guitar solos. There are a handful of moments on the album which have more appeal; take for example the dramatic ballad ‘Irreversible’ or the balls-out MOTLEY CRUE homage ‘Trouble’, yet tellingly these tracks fall within the first 35 minutes.
Although the press release alludes towards claims of similarity between their sound and that of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE or (perhaps more aptly) FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, the abundance of string instruments and synths ensures that this is even more outrageous that the aforementioned artists. The clear and distinctive references to the height of cock rock – both in terms of the high pitched melodramatic vocals and unashamedly overpowering guitar riffs – are more likely to remind the listener to leaders of the 1980s rock scene. This leads to a constant conflict between moments which sound like BON JOVI and moments when the band present themselves as a flamboyant Scandinavian opera rock band. Although the attempts to combine the two styles are obvious, the overall composition of the individual tracks lean more towards one or the other, failing to truly pull together in order to form an overall coherent record.
BEN TIPPLE