Review Summary: Something good coming out of Oshawa? What?
I really don't like Oshawa. Bad areas of town and failing auto-industry aside, the city seems like a haven for the awful and unfortunately numerous August Burns Red rip-offs. Given the sheer number of annoying metalcore bands, I'm not even quite sure how many non –core groups the area has to offer. It's pretty fitting, however, that when I do find a quality band, this being The D'Urbervilles, they're stationed in Guelph. Who do they think they are, anyways…going to university? But in all seriousness, though The D'Urbervilles haven't quite set the world afire as of this writing, they've managed to gather a small, but respectable following, as well as release their debut album,
We Are the Hunters.
Throughout their almost irksomely short debut recording (clocking in at only 32 minutes), The D'Urbervilles bring a fairly interesting sound to the table. A raw, brooding album,
We Are the Hunters places prominence in a rather moody, yet eclectic style. The seemingly mechanical sounding performance of bassist Kyle Donnelly plays a dominant role in the mix and combined with the guitar techniques of Tim Bruton (of which vary between heavily layered power chords as in Spin the Bottle or sparse ala Hot Tips), Greg Santilly's work behind the kit and the plaintive singing of John O'Regan, makes for an engaging listen. Lacking any real filler,
We Are The Hunters manages to not only provide listeners with a variety of different songs, but sounds good doing it. Dragnet is an odd little dance number which brings Depeche Mode to mind, down to O'Regan's very best Dave Grahan impression (which is quite uncanny). Hot Tips and the title track are both poppy offerings, with the former featuring quirky, infectious melodies, and the later somewhat resembling an anthem from The Killers. National Flowers' brooding characteristics make for a tense first couple listens, but the swirling melodies heard throughout the track add a nice texture to the overall flow of the song, as well as a sense of intrigue and mystery upon more careful listening.
Though We Are the Hunters is criminally short and at times sounds a little too much like Depeche Mode, Joy Division, or Interpol, it remains a solid debut offering nonetheless. Providing that they manage to expand on their sound over the next couple years, The D'Urbervilles should be a band to look out for. And God knows Oshawa needs one of those.
