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Low Value

Recharge

Written by: PP on 23/05/2010 17:56:36

When you grow up in Slovenia, or any other small European country really, listening to punk rock almost exclusively means checking out bands from the US, UK and possibly Sweden, because the local punk scenes are too small and unknown to be the starting point for a life long adventure in the genre. I should know, having lived in Denmark for well over a decade. That's my hypothesis as to why Slovenia's Low Value sounds the way they do, like a mish mash of styles from some of the most revered punk bands of the last decade and a half. "Recharge", their newest album, seems like it wants to be one part metallic punk in the vein of Strung Out, given the technical leads and complex riffs in places, but elsewhere they're perfectly content to playing Millencolin-esque skatepunk from the "Home From Home" era, while sneaking in a few pop punk influences as well.

The opener "My Shame", for instance, sounds like Strung Out meeting A Wilhelm Scream, a metallic punk rock track full of backup screaming and breakneck speed pace, and it's followed by "On The Road", which turns things upside down with a bright guitar sound and a pop punk vibe, sounding pretty much exactly like Millencolin on their last few albums. "Coming Home" follows suit with the obvious Millencolin references, but then 7 and a half minute mammoth "Call To Arms" brings into mind bands like A Wilhelm Scream and Belvedere, switching quickly between elements of metal and punk throughout the song. I can't say I'm a huge fan of that, to be honest.

It's tracks like "Want You More" which make Low Value worth a consideration on your playlist. It has some truly awesome technical guitars, which aren't metallic like earlier on the album, instead relying on a bright, poppy and high-pitched tone, supplementing strong vocal melodies that give the song a feel-good vibe. This type of sound is exactly the one that I believe Low Value has a promising future with, not so much the metallic one, and especially NOT the horrible ballad found in the 6 minute "All Alone". Too bad there aren't enough of those here for me to rate them any higher.

Download: Want You More, I'm Sorry
For the fans of: Millencolin, Strung Out, Belvedere
Listen: Myspace

Release date 06.02.2010
Self-Released