The last time I reviewed The Maple Room I swear they weren’t as heavy as this. Not that this record is that heavy, but compared to the FFAF-lite of their last EP, this certainly has a bit more bite. Released in the UK on Shave The Area this belgian mob are kicking up some real interest on the continent, but for me there’s nothing about them which a lot of other bands don’t do a lot better already. There’s shades of Underoath, shades of early FFAF and a lot of those other types of bands. And while The Maple Room are arguably better than some, they’re not better than most and after a while the songs tend to blend into one another. Not hideous, but a lack of originality hinders repeated listens.
