Hard rock and alternative music have come a long way since their inception. Modern-day leaders such as System of a Down and Green Day have brought the genre to new heights with the introduction of orchestral sounds as an undertone to the usual raging guitars and screaming vocals. It has made for a different outlook on alternative rock and legitimized it into a real musical genre, unlike the subgenre screamo.
That said, Fivespeed displays the basics in hard rock, where the developed bands of today started. The Arizona-based band and its album, Morning Over Midnight
is nothing to write home about. They have a good sound, with all the usual suspects in muffled, distorted guitars and a vocalist with enough lung power to blow the roof off a house.
Vocalist Jared Woosley is a strong leader who is able to project over the hard sounds of the instruments, and that alone gets him high marks. His voice strongly resembles that of Gerard Way, lead singer for My Chemical Romance, especially in Fair Trade and Lost Vegas.
The general sound of the band has been compared to The Used and System of a Down, but what I hear leans more toward Hawthorne Heights. Drive (Field Guide to the Night Sky) and Lights shine most prominently as the rock anthems of the album. Guitarists Jesse LaCross and Brad Cole, bassist Matt Turner and drummer Shane Addington more than prove they have the strength and headache tolerance to complete the band.
Morning Over Midnight was the second album by Fivespeed, who already had an EP made at a friend's studio. I would've thought being signed to a major label would help differentiate the album, with advancement in technology and professional producers, but I hear almost no difference between the two albums. Because this is their first major label venture, they deserve some time to create a sound, and they are certainly on the right track. If Wait Forever and Touch of One are glimpses of what is to come, I can't wait to see how they progress. A real rock band is on its way up. 17
Archives
Susan Teben
200602161688midsize.jpg
