16 Volt
Supercoolnothing
Slipdisc/Mercury
In the realm of aggressive music, many artists have catapulted their careers into super stardom with their blend of intense vocals, razor sharp guitar riffs, and ear-piercing adrenaline. These successful bands made it to the top by means of their originality and ideal timing to ride the musical wave of the time. However, this is not the case for 16 Volt’s newest effort. This release bears with it the unmistakable marks of the famous phrase “too little, too late,” with clichés and tired formulas of aggro guitars, distorted vocals and unintelligible lyrics. Tracks like “Everyday Everything” and “Keep Sleeping” are simply regurgitated formulas of past glories, and provide the basis for pressing the next track button on my CD player. In hopes of finding one or two songs worthy of my attention, I continued my search and soon found myself at the end of the disc. The minimalistic electronics combined with the highly processed guitar slashes and boring vocal treatments result in a listening experience leaving much to be desired. It is fine to use the influences of other artists in your own music, but it is quite different to turn the same old recipe used a hundred times over into yet another excuse for artistic vision. Another disc to use as a drink coaster, I suppose. Mercury Records, 825 Eighth Avenue, Eigth Floor, New York, NY 10019
