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This Is Divine

These Human Ruins EP

Written by: AP on 27/09/2010 12:59:43

Great Britain has a thriving music scene, there can be no question. Opportunities are ripe and readily pursued by young hopefuls like This Is Divine, who secured appearances at some of the isles' most prestigious festivals through the Bedroom Jam concept, envisioned by the ubiquitous brand Red Bull, earlier this year. Unfortunately when access to the market is facilitated by a fast track like an online voting scheme, it becomes disturbingly easy for bands with more ambition than experience to smuggle themselves into the big league and pretend to have more credentials than is actually the case. This Is Divine belong in this category of bands.

Riding on what is in my opinion an unjust wave of hype, the band's second EP, "These Human Ruins", is apparently set to make a huge lasting impression on the music scene. From the get go, the influences which have played a part in its creation are obvious: technical, discordant, metallic post-hardcore in the vein of Oceana, Oh, Sleeper and Underoath. But just as fast the band's lack of personal identity becomes audible through a penchant for extremely unimaginative songwriting. The EP is essentially a collection of loosely coupled instrumental passages that seem to be stemming from everywhere yet heading nowhere, with skramzy vocals that completely miss the faint dynamics of the music. There are some interesting riffs scattered here and there, most notably in the title track, but where this EP ultimately fails to stick is in its refusal to provide any hooks. It is a relentless barrage of semi-intense fury with horror chords and breakdowns a-plenty, but listening to songs like "Dear Armourer" and "Become a Vision of Defeat", one cannot sense even a remote hint of emotion in the midst, let alone detect much of a difference in their structure.

The inevitable conclusion is that "These Human Ruins" ultimately fails to impress. In order for This Is Divine to make the huge lasting impression that their promotional material promises, the band needs to completely rethink their writing process and - rather than lifting their idols onto a pedestal - incorporate their external influences as subtle nods toward the bands that inspire them in their own, instantly recognisable songs. As it is now, This Is Divine comes across as a bootleg copy of Underoath, so I guess if you're short on money and the nearby Underoath show exceeds your budget, you could go check out This Is Divine in the local bar instead.

Download: These Human Ruins, Toronto
For the fans of: Confide, Oceana, Oh, Sleeper, Underoath
Listen: Myspace

Release date 31.05.2010
** UNSIGNED BAND **