Talk about a long time coming – not only is it four years since the band last released an album, but these songs were actually recorded during the early stages of 2004 with mixmaster genius Rick Rubin. A far cry from Dennis Lyxzén’s days in Refused… Either way, while the Swede’s former band rocked my socks off, T(I)NC have always failed to re-ignite the fires Refused seemed to be able to stoke with ease. This album, released on Reprise, doesn’t really change my views on the band too much. Sure, it’s passionate and political, but it lacks something for me – some kind of killer edge or spark.
At times this is incendiary – guitars blaze and the vocals screech with enough energy to power a small country. But all to often there’s something lacking. ‘The Way I Feel About You’ snarls and cracks, while ‘This Side of Heaven’ is a beauty. But for a band that prides themselves on politics and an attitude as explosive as a Molotov cocktail, there’s often a real lack of energy leading this record to become a bit, well, contrived and boring. This release is ok…but not much more than that.
Reprise
Paul