March 2005
Released: 2004,
Deepsend Records
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman
Switzerland’s oddly named Vancouver are a bit of an strange fit for Deepsend Records’ usual stable of brutal beyond belief death metal and cult grindcore bands (they’re licensed from Division Records). In fact, they are more in line with fellow nutter bands like Keelhaul, Neurosis, Cult of Luna, and Knut. Normally, those bands would not be my cup of tea, as I find their whole “intelligent noise rock” thing to be both an annoying waste of time and complete sham in musical terms. That is to say, I hear nothing revolutionary or exciting in their music. Is Vancouver any different?
Absolutely not. Featuring all of the hallmarks of this genre, from the shout/scream vocals, repetitive riffs, and stop/start rhythms, all the way through to the pointless “ambient” tracks (there’s three of them on here). If you enjoy this stuff, then you will certainly be all over this like a fat kid on a Smarty (that’s M&Ms for all you non-Canadians). You’ll have to excuse me however, if I don’t join in on the party. Plus, I just can’t take a band seriously when its vocalist REPEATEDLY pronounces “Apollo” as “Eh-Po-Low”. I’m aware that could be because of a strong accent, but it is still really distracting. Yeah, I’m nit-picking, so what?
Like I said, if you’re into this stuff, say hello to your new favorite band. If not, just move right along. There’s nothing to see here.
