Oh to be young and pissed off again... those feelings of angst and alienation and frustration, at odds with the world, not fitting in with the sell-outs and hypocrites, and venting that anger through the medium of rock music. I'm not doing these guys down in principal, and I'm certainly not going to have a go over their intentions. But hell, 'Depths' is just so very predictable. Chugga chugga chugga guitars and thunderous drums provide the bedrock on which their fist-waving anthemic choruses are built, punctuated by some widdlesome, looping lead guitar lines and throaty shouting for extra aggression.
Of course, they're absolutely sincere, they mean it, man. And yes, they do sound convincing, but the lyrics incorporate well-worn cliches in abundance. How about 'Hiding the pain, holding it in, 'cause it's never too late to take it back'? Or, 'This is a virus, we're all infected, I'm sick of rotting, in my own reflection'? Or, 'I'm sick of people I see walking round with their heads held high, It's harder than you think to cross the line... / I don't give a fuck how I come across'? Angry, yes. Eloquent..? It's a good thing to speak to listeners about emotional states they can identify with, but making those sentiments interesting and fresh is a real challenge for any band, and Forever Wednesday simply don't articulate their emotions in a way that differentiates them from countless others.
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The result is a retread of a well-established formula without anything that renders 'Depths' in any way unique. It doesn't take long for 'Depths' to reveal itself as being rather two-dimensional and with too much all one level. After a while it all gets a bit monotonous, and the angst fades to a grey ennui.
Forever Wednesday on MySpace
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