Finland's punk-infested hardcore band Endstand are now signed to Lifeforce Records and The Time is Now their debut at their new home. The band has been around for nearly a decade now, releasing several MCD's, two full-lengths, as well as some split albums and EP's. Having never heard any of their back catalog before, it will be hard to say how The Time is Now compares, but several listens to the album suggest that Endstand are a bit more melodic than most other mindlessly heavy-wannabe hardcore acts.
The visceral roots of punk are certainly a crucial part of Endstand's songs. They are filled with plenty of melodic guitar hooks, awesome drumming (perhaps the most interesting part of the album), some duel lead vocals, and arpegiatted rhythm guitars. Janne is actually a good singer, but he tends to scream through most of the songs as most other hardcore vocalists do. If he toned it down a bit and tried to actually sing a bit, some of the songs could have been more interesting. The double guitar work of Juha and Juho is competent, producing a lot of rhythmic changes and melodies. But as the songs rarely break the 3-minute mark, there is little room for any experimentation. The pieces are played with the immediacy of punk music (hence the similarity), but I really admire Pekka's drumming throughout the album. His tone is powerful and rather than plodding along to the pieces he actually does a great job providing some interesting polyrhythms and complex beats. His rolls on the melodic "King of Drama" or the more challenging double bass drums on "Whatever It Takes", together with the advanced guitar playing, make for pleasant listens. Though there isn't much change from track to track, "Lost Balance" is a prime example of 'epic' punky hardcore with great breaks, scatching vocals, and fun-to-listen guitars.
Being on Lieforce should help Endstand get a bigger following and hopefully more lucrative tours in 2006.
Track Listing
- Way Out
- Whatever It Takes
- King of Drama
- Counting the Days
- Right from the Start
- To Feel Alive
- Lost Balance
- These Scars Won't Heal
- Empty Promises
- Sometimes Dreams Might Come True
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