Enabler: Shift of Redemption

Enabler is a band out of Milwaukee that released a well-received full-length debut last year. With this EP, the band not only brings fans four new songs, they also introduce a new guitarist (Eric Dunn) and a new drummer (Dave Mann). The rest of the band is made up of guitarist / vocalist Jeff Lohrber and bassist Amanda Daniels. For interested readers, this EP may be streamed at Invisible Oranges and will also be available as a digital download or as a limited edition 7".

Musically, this EP delivers up twelve minutes of aggressive and pounding songs that sound like a blend of hardcore, thrash, and pure rage. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that these songs actually have more than one mood. I often expect bands like this to only have a few tricks up their sleeves. Not these guys. With each song, they seem to be thinking about reaching slightly beyond their current sound. They aren't terribly experimental, but they obviously don't want to get stuck doing the same thing over and over. Check out the final track "Fallselflessly" and notice the way it basically stops part way through and picks up a new direction, a new idea, a new mood. It shouldn't work, but it does—and quite effectively, too.

One of my favorite things about this EP is the way Amanda Daniels' bass parts lurk deep in the background, standing out only in quieter moments, offering listeners a short and very deep riff. Her notes offer additional surprise to each song. The guitars, by contrast, move forward at a blistering pace, usually playing a series of short rhythmic blasts. At times, they play at a higher end, creating melodic passages out of two or three notes (see "Live Low" and "Sacrifice" for good examples). There are no solos here, but they aren't missed. The vocals are consistently strong, if, at times, a little too full of phlegm.

Track Listing:
1. Shift of Redemption
2. Live Low
3. Sacrifice
4. Fallselflessly

Added: April 17th 2013
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1640
Language: english

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