Rockfreaks.net

Terminal

Bring Forth The Few

Written by: AP on 26/04/2009 20:04:22

Danish music tends to be comfortable within its national borders. It also tends to be comfortable in categories with prerequisites that dictate how the music should sound; hollow and industrial if it wants to be metal; airy and melancholic if it wants to be rock. Ladies and gentlemen, tick both boxes for trio terminal but don't worry: together with Cleo Malone, terminal brings hope to Danish rock music. "One guitar, a bass and a drummer, that's really all it takes", said Tim Christensen fifteen years ago and little boys though they may have been then, terminal listened. They also watched as one band after the other fell victim to the stigma of Danish music, confined by its own shortcomings to a stagnating domestic scene, and took note. Success requires more than mere skill. It requires edge, and that's exactly what terminal brings to Danish rock.

But while they may have little, if any competition at home, the sound is by no means original in the global setting. It doesn't take a genius to notice just how heavy an influence Muse has been to the writing of "Bring Forth The Few", but then you can't really slate a man for looking a bit too much like Johnny Depp either; your girlfriend will still prefer him to you. Trio terminal's debut may not be as instantly catchy as their idols', but they play their influences well and are able to create thinking man's rock out of them: intelligent lyrics delivered in a voice best described as a mix of Matthew Bellamy, Robert Plant and Tim Christensen, sung over an overdriven, atmospheric, and at times progressive guitar sound, and a Musesque rhythm section which gives the four-string at least as much prominence as the guitar and allows for some seriously tasty bass licks to get those heads bobbing and those pits going. Bittersweet and melancholic - these are words that best describe terminal's sound and the group goes at such topics with all guns blazing: eleven near-identical tracks worth of misery to be exact, which polarizes the overall impression somewhat and makes the album sound rather tame and timid.

The band does show its teeth with a number of fierce tracks ("Run And Make It Fast", "Pretended") but have a tendency to become trapped in that limbo where nearly every other Danish band resides: the writing is top notch, and the songs are simple and effective, but they have no lasting value (with the exception of the two just mentioned), and with a faux art rock sound like theirs, this puts terminal in dangerous parallel with most British indie sensations that come out of nowhere, dominate the charts for a while, and vanish just as inexplicably the following year. Okay, so given the little, if any competition terminal faces at home they have very little to worry about in that respect, but let's face it: in order to fulfill their international potential the sophomore would have to have more spice than "Bring Forth The Few". It's a solid debut but to turn heads the band must shed its shyness. There is talent here that could be harnessed to produce something great so what the band needs to do now is quit testing the ice and risk breaking it instead. In the industry of today one must be bold and daring to sell shit and it seems like terminal has those songs cooking in the subconscious - all that's needed is a little stimulus.

Download: Run And Make It Fast, Molest, Pretended

For the fans of: Cleo Malone, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Kashmir, Muse

Listen: Myspace

Release date 14.04.2009

Trechoma