You have to give the duo known as Akris credit for at least trying something different here on their new self-titled release. Comprised of Helena Goldberg on bass & vocals, and drummer Cheyka Bessid, Akris have put together 10 tracks of distorted, fuzz laden bass driven sludge/stoner/punk madness. The problem is, much of it is just not very good. Goldberg has a decent voice, but the lyrics, as well as the arrangements, are very tedious and monotonous. For a few tunes, the booming, fuzzy bass riffs and crashing drums are somewhat fun, but the formula gets played out quickly, to the point that by the second half of the CD the songs become interchangeable. Both are fine players, but there just needs to be some more variety added to the mix here. A tune like the melancholy "Redeemer" features some fine vocals and bulbous bass lines, but man, what a sizzling guitar solo or even some atmospheric electric piano or Mellotron could have done to make this creepy tune that much better. As it is, Akris sounds like an unfinished demo where half the band failed to show up for the session. I like the fact that they are sticking to their guns and making a go of it as a duo, but to these ears there's something missing. You be the judge.
Track Listing
1. Fighter Pilot
2. Brown
3. Profit
4. Unidentified
5. Riverbed
6. Part of Me
7. Row of Lights
8. Vomit Within
9. Redeemer
10. Suffocate
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