We The Machine

Dissenter

Written by: BL on 20/10/2013 22:38:30

Let's get straight to the point - if you've heard anything in the commercial sector of the post-hardcore genre of the last few years (the Vans Warped Tour/Rise Records kind especially) then "Dissenter" from We The Machine is nothing new. It's an unashamedly shallow imitation and a cash-in of some of those exact type of bands. But despite this huge handicap of not having an ounce of originality, We The Machine do know a thing or two about writing semi decent catchy music - whether it be the instant hooks from the choruses or through the pretty sounding instrumentals and electronics.

After a short throwaway introduction, "An Effort To Breathe" gets the EP underway and doesn't hesistate to show off all the typical risecore nuances - the heavy low guitar riffing, the short and snappy breakdowns, and the predictable clean choruses with laughably simple, yet indelibly catchy tapped lead guitars melodies. You can suspect that We The Machine probably didn't give themselves too much of a target to aim for here in terms of theme, but fortunately never seem to bite off more than they can chew either. "Bent In The Undergrowth" goes on to include more ambitious tapped guitar parts whilst "IV" has a cool assortment of ambient synthesisers which reminds me of a similar post-hardcore band If I Were You, making a generally favorable impression in their usage. The one detracting aspect of it all is probably that the singer although not being a slouch or anything, has this not quite shrill, but slightly whiny tone. But even so, he sings tunes well enough to complement the backing instrumentals, like on "Mirrors" which features one the catchiest choruses on the EP. "The Fallen" on the other hand, is probably a little too cheesy for a closer and the chorus instead falls a little flat when compared to the previous songs.

The arrangements on "Dissenter" are if nothing else, genre-sensible - approaching a decent blend of melodies and muted aggression in favor of those melodies. We The Machine also show that they know this game well enough, but sadly don't really make too much of an effort to impress non genre enthusiasts or the intent to think outside of the box. Whether or not they decide they want to be anything more than a bit-player in a grossly overpopulated scene is for themselves to decide. But in anycase, for an EP that's full of the same stuff everybody else is doing, you could do a lot worse.

Download:An Effort To Breathe, IV, Mirrors
For the fans of: Crown The Empire, We Came As Romans, If I Were You
Listen:Facebook

Release date 01.10.2013
InVogue Records

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