Lots of good things have been said about The Attika State and it’s pretty easy to see why. This 3-track demo, which the band have been handing out at gigs for free, is pretty impressive stuff, throwing in the usual post-hardcore wares but giving it their own unique spin. There’s a carefully crafted texture to each of the trio of tracks, with a high level of musicianship missing from so many demos we receive here at PT Towers. Perhaps the best compliment I can currently pay the band is that they don’t really sound like anyone. Whilst there are definite nods towards certain sounds and genres, The Attika State never borrow too much from one particular band. Originality is good, so in trying to forge their own unique sound the band pick up bonus points.
‘The Downside of Perfect’ and ‘Relief Wax’ are arguably the pick of the three tracks, both complex in song structure and unwilling to bow down to the bland verse/chorus/verse style which plagues so many bands. I guess comparisons to a more technical Jimmy Eat World or vocal-less Coheed and Cambria could be made – but to be fair to The Attika State they make a fair stab at carving their own identity out. The vocals are solid, the drums hard hitting and the guitar lines either heavy or intricate; neither outlasting their welcome.
The future looks promising for The Attika State if the three tracks on offer here are anything to go by. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but by all accounts the band’s other songs are as good, if not better, than the three on offer here. The band does play a style of music which could see them fast disappear up their own behinds, so care must be taken to ensure this does not happen. But if they do stay on the (reasonably) straight and narrow, a full-length album will make interesting listening.
Paul