Somehow, Hurt never made it. All the ingredients for mainstream success are there; a nigh-impossible to resist voice of confident frontman J. Loren Wince, relatable lyrics, and a hard rock sound that has already been proven to work with acts such as Staind and Breaking Benjamin, but with more care put into their formula.
Volume 1, Hurt's full length debut, encompasses most of what an unproven band needs to accomplish; a gratifying and hard-hitting lead single in "Rapture", slow jams like the tangy, country soul of "Danse Russe", an acoustic number with a chorus that packs a punch in "Cold Inside", and a firm closing statement through the brooding, subtle "House Carpenter". In short terms, variety, and that's what Hurt does.
In some way, the fact that
Volume 1 never made it big helps its cause. The album has an eerie tone because simply not many people have grown accustomed to it; it feels like
yours and yours alone which gives off an overarching sense of personal connection with the listener. Sure,
Volume 1 could apply to anyone; we've all been through tough times and Wince has an easy, natural way of portraying a universal message of pain and heartbreak. Anyone who has even remotely seen a decline in life quality is instantly comforted by Wince's pill-by-pill diary of anguish in the epic "Overdose".
I'll take one cause / I needed to feel it so much" Wince smoothly croons over quiet guitar and a darkened, shrouded atmosphere. The song continues through its rejection of sobriety, recalling the lack fun in life without the aid of outside influences. The band is obviously tormented and it shines through the depressing music, making the message clear and upfront.
Regardless of how well Hurt accomplish their aesthetic, a few tracks just simply aren't appropriate to tell the whole story and give
Vol. 1 a sense of weight it doesn't necessarily need. "Forever" seems to stick out in a negative light, as by the 3rd repeated chorus the song loses any direction or purpose at all, even if the vocals shine through the industrialized distortion nicely in Wince's elongated delivery of
"forever / won't you lend me your sins against you?". "Unkind" further pushes
Vol. 1 down deeper into the hole as its slow-burning guitar drones along and is essentially a rehash of Hurt's better, clearer ideas. The song doesn't really have an identity of its own and gets lost in the forest of stronger tracks that surround it.
It might be wise to listen to
Volume 1 when you're in a downright depressed mood. I can't even imagine listening to this or it even being enjoyable if I was happy-go-lucky and din't know an ounce of pain. But if it doesn't work in that atmosphere, it sure as hell works as a crutch to a rainy day and a lonely night.
Volume 1 serves its purpose well and frankly makes a lot of mainstream music sound freakishly shallow. Any fan of hard rock should give it a go, however; just make sure you're kind of hurt before listening.
