The Columbian Necktie

The Columbian Necktie EP

Written by: PP on 19/03/2012 01:42:43

The Columbian Necktie, not to be confused with the Converge influenced Los Angeles hardcore crew Colombian Necktie, is a new Danish metal outfit that specializes themselves in deathcore. But not your typical straight up deathcore; they like to blend in various styles and subgenres into their primary arsenal for variety on their self-titled debut EP that was released late last year.

The EP is very much a first try at songwriting, which exemplifies a mistake all too many young starting metal bands do in Denmark: the focus is on trying to make the expression as br00tal and heavy as possible. Consequently the songs suffer immensely, mostly due to the lack of thought that has been put into writing actual songs instead of just examples on how to execute your insturments in as brutally ear-splitting way as possible. The band states one chord breakdown bands like Emmure as their influence, so you can expect lots of overtly down-tuned guitars and at times bafflingly hollow and guttural growls, as well as some monstrous breakdowns like the one on "A Guide To Romance 2.0", which makes some of Emmure and Chelsea Grin's slowed down, one chord songs horrors seem bearable in comparison. It serves no other purpose on the song except to make it sound brutal, and as such, its intellectual value is at a low point during the record.

But not all hope is lost. "Flesh Toys", for instance is by far the best track on the three song Ep. It's a varied song with melodic sections that are almost ambient in nature; here the contrast between the crushing breakdowns and the guttural growls works well against the more melodic side. More material like this, played tighter and with better execution, and The Columbian Necktie are all of a sudden a band you should be looking out for. But for the time being, they need to drop the horrific guttural growls and replace them with the screamed style, which works much, much better for the band on all three songs. In conclusion, "The Columbian Necktie" is not an awful EP, but it needs much work before it can be a serious contender even within the national scene.

Download: Flesh Toys
For the fans of: Emmure, Chelsea Grin, deathcore
Listen: Facebook

Release date 04.11.2011
Self-Released

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