Straight outta Kent-Town punk rock duo Slaves have given us a taste of their new work this week, with the release of their second album “Take Control”- but does it live up to the anticipated hype?
After the total buzz that electrified thousands of young rockers from the debut album “Are You Satisfied?”, it was always going to be hard to top such a successful entry to the music scene. Sadly, I’ve found that Slaves haven’t quite managed to hit the high top with their new tracks (maybe Isaacs sustained stage diving injury has held them back from this?). Listening through all the songs, I can only seem to find a couple of tracks I actually enjoy.
‘Hyponotised’ luckily doesn’t disappoint, delivering heavy drum clashes and bass slaps to get your head banging, the way the band usually succeed in doing. ‘Lies’ is also a bit of a hidden gem, as you get to hear a bit more of a sing song vocal from Isaac, rather than the usual screaming (not that it’s bad at all), but the boys show good variety. In fact, it’s nice to see the pair trying to take their material in a new direction- it’s just a shame that the majority of the album sounds so similar.
‘People That You Meet’ drones on like a drunken nursery rhyme and lacks any charming angst. Similarly, ‘Cold Hard Floor’ sounds like it could have been produced by any average try-hard teen punk band. I get that it’s important to experiment with new sounds, but I reckon that Slaves are best of returning to their old roots. Having paid £22 as well to see them in November, I feel bad in saying I hope ‘Take Control’ is played in the minority. Here’s hoping album number three will be better!
