Review Summary: On the intial listen, World Record may come across as a boring punk tinged rock album the pales in comparison to Far Q. But keep listening and you'll start to appreciate it for it's simplicity, anthemic nature and down-to-earth British charm.
Lower Than Atlantis – World Record
Good old rock music has gone out of fashion a bit recently. Nowadays it’s far more trendy to be ultra-cutting edge or part of ‘the scene’ rather than a straight up rock band. It’s a shame really because sometimes when it comes to writing music (as cliché as it sounds), less really is more. So naturally, a band is deciding to go against the flow and go back to the basics. That band is Lower Than Atlantis with their stunning sophomore album ‘World Record’. Yes. That’s really what it’s called.
Opener The Motor(Way) Of Life is a somewhat underwhelming beginning for such a promising band, but following tracks such as Beech Like The Tree and High At Five soon set the record straight with some fist pumping riffs and sing-along choruses. The first thing that hits you with this album is that it’s a far more melodic affair than their debut. While its predecessor (the excellently named Far Q) had elements of hardcore thrown in to offset the melody, World Record has almost completely done away with both the screamed vocals and even the explicit lyrics. Given the punk rock attitude of frontman Mike Deuce, this change in style seems a little strange. That said, all of the best parts on their debut Far Q were the melodic parts and choruses, but it’s a shame they dropped so much of their edge in the name of catchiness. However, that’s not to say the band have entirely lost their edge. Marilyn’s Mansion in particular stands out with its turbo powered riffs and the closest Mike Deuce gets to screaming on the album, it’s just a shame it lasts a mere 1:34. Although, at the end of the day, the choruses found on the likes of Uni 9mm and Could You? Would You? more than make up for the loss of heaviness.
Another stand-out aspect of this album is how uniquely British they sound. Often when you learn of a bands nationality, it comes across as a rather uninteresting factoid that adds little to the music. This is not the case with Lower Than Atlantis. Mike Deuce’s voice and his forthcoming down-to-earth lyrics emanate British charm and attitude, giving the band a real selling point beyond the good songs. While a great deal of British metal/rock bands are striving to appeal to an American audience, usually by either sounding American or appealing to American trends. Lower Than Atlantis on the other hand sound like modern rock music with no bells or whistles attached, and it’s rarely sounded this good.
8/10
Motor(Way) Of Life, 6/10 – Somewhat lacking in comparison to the following songs but a solid track nonetheless.
Beech Like A Tree, 8/10 – Beefy riffs and a soaring chorus, this sounds like it will sound amazing in the live environment.
High At Five, 8.5/10 – Keeping the consistency going, Mike Deuce shows of some of his best lyrics yet and writes an awesome British rock song to boot.
Uni 9mm, 9/10 – Featuring one of the best choruses you’ll hear this year and yet more down-to-earth lyrics but with a more sombre tone than the previous tracks.
Another Sad Song, 7.5/10 – Similar to Uni 9mm in it’s ballad-esque style and sombre tone, and although it’s not quite as good, the band still show massive potential with tracks like this crying out for radio play.
Marilyn’s Mansion, 8/10 – Picking up the pace again with crunching riffs and yet another brilliant chorus, fans who don’t appreciate LTA’s new direction into melodic territory will surely still love this.
The Deadliest Catch, 8/10 – Guess what. Another chorus. And the lyrics are great too. This band yet again proves they’re meant for bigger things.
Bug, 7.5/10 – Another song that should please fans of the more hardcore tinged Far Q.
Up In Smoke, 8/10 – Although the chorus is predictably brilliant, the best feature of this song are Mike Deuce’s lyrics, this time revolving around his smoking and drinking habits.
Could You? Would You? 9.5/10 – Containing not only the best chorus on the album but also the best lyrics. This is a song you need to hear.
Working For The Man By Day, Sticking It To The Man By Night, 7/10 – The title is pretty self-explanatory, and while the song isn’t quite as good as the rest of the album, the more riff orientated song structure is a welcome twist.
R.O.I, 6/10 –Another ballad style song, but it doesn’t match up to Uni 9mm or Another Sad Song. An underwhelming finish for such a fantastic album.
