Review Summary: Edgy and confident, Tzar Bomber offer up a collision course of style and substance.
Tzar Bomber are out to impress. Not just casually nod and think to yourself “it’s okay, I guess” – they want you to be goddamn impressed; right goddamn now. At least, that’s the impression you get from the confidence exhumed through their music. Hailing from coastal New South Wales, Australia, the quartet are ambitious in sound and style, blending a variety of styles to establish a progressive take on modern, alternative rock. Their debut EP,
Melt On Like This, sees the relatively young band throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. Naturally, as with most bands just starting out, not everything holds water. That said, there’s enough here to give you the impression that perhaps these kids are onto something.
Across six tracks, Tzar Bomber treat listeners to energetic, forward-thinking rock music that sees choruses and hooks as companions, rather than the burdens many heavier bands make them out to be. Vocalist Rudd Soeriyadi certainly knows his way around them – his distinctive, powerful vibrato kicks through tracks like the groovy EP highlight “Idiosyncrasies” and the granular “Rosewood” with varying degrees of intensity, strength and adaptive ease. Given, at times they can tip-toe over the edge of melodrama - see his shouts of “hurhhh” and “fu
cking STOP!” in “Rosewood” - but Soeriyadi’s vocals never degrade into downright ridiculous. Rather, they stand out as one of the key parts of the overall sound.
Soeriyadi’s voice and occasionally questionable lyrics (“I saw a priest getting beaten/And I smiled at him”?) are forcefully backed by a collective of very able musicians that are not only content to roll with the punches, but throw a few themselves. Kai Whitaker’s blistering bass work keeps things extremely listenable – his fills are well thought out and unique; whilst his slap-bass solos in “Spirit Thief” and closer “Rosewood” would inspire even Howard Moon to raise a fleshy maraca in respect.
Guitarist Leland Foster has an ear for interesting guitar sound, and vividly expresses this throughout Melt On Like This, with highlights including a dreamy solo in “Idiosyncrasies” and the downplayed but worth-noticing acoustic bridge in the fantastic opening track, “Chainfire”. Perhaps his only misstep is the Tool-aping downtuned main riff of “Grewl”, which sounds more at home on Wes Borland’s guitar. This aside, Foster is skilled and open-minded – two characteristics that rock guitarists thrive upon.
Finally, Nathan Edwards’ drums, keep each song lively and rolling along at the exact right pace. Unfortunately, it’s in listening to his tight sticksmanship that exposes perhaps the EP’s biggest flaw: the thing (especially the drums) is over-produced to absolute buggery. It’s this that especially makes the EP’s title track almost completely unlistenable – nothing against the song, which is catchy and creative; but you know something’s up when the snare drum is louder than the lead vocalist to the point where it hurts your ears.
If there’s one track to recommend above all, it has to be “Chainfire”. A six-minute summary of exactly why this lot has potential, the track is a hard-hitting and unpredictable beast that zig-zags through piercing melodies, galloping beats and a wall of wailing guitars. Infectiously catchy, smartly arranged and genuinely exciting to listen to, this particular number is about a mile in the right direction for the band.
Melt On Like This has a lot going for it, and Tzar are certain to find themselves with a lot of attention headed their way if all works out. The one thing greater than that, however, is thinking that their best work is still ahead – and for what it’s worth, they’ve managed a pretty good start.
www.myspace.com/tzarbomber
