Colonel Stem take some hard rock ideals alongside sneering vocals and mix them up with some jagged riffs creating an intriguing blend of music on this EP. With deep riffs that run off into clean toned alt rock melodies copiloted by an enthusiastic frontman and powered with some deft drumwork, Colonel Stem charge through the 6 tracks on this EP with considerable ambition. Best summed up comparison wise as a more percussive Chevelle with vocals reminiscent of a non political minded Pitchshifter, the group captures a distinct sound. Vocals are ripe with enthusiasm as the lyrics unfold with dark stories that feature a smug delivery and snide overtone. Not so much aggressive, they rather focus on the voice and the tone rather than screaming and dynamics, which in turn creates a fairly straight human element to the band. Guitar can range from pulverizing with catchy staccato riffs to refrained clean melodic excursions that soothe and capture the construction of the song structure. When the guitars do hit a heavier stride, they do so with a very deep sound that grinds out the riffs with authority, some inquisitive ideas show up throughout the bands work and are played with refined moderation ensuring that they don't become repetitious, or limited only to distortion. There's a few melodic parts and a spiraling organic improvisation aspect to the guitar keeping things fresh and achieving an overall heavy alt rock sound as a whole. Bass comes at the listener with a healthy dose of punch and spirited riffs, following the guitars lead is the most common approach taken here, providing the opportunity for more experimentation and thickening of the music's groove as a whole. Drums are steadfast as hits are played with confidence and flair, embellishment and expansive kit usage are also present and strengthen the groups product as drummer Phil glides through effortless rolls and lock tight beats that fuel the bands music like coal to a fire. His affinity for simplistic beats that possess impressive technical prowess and subtle offbeat stylings add immensely to the electricity of the band and his hard hitting nature gives the extra brawn to the more aggressive moments. The bands music is solid with intelligent songwriting and smooth shifts from part to part within the music, sadly though, there are some things that do indeed drag the band down a bit, the most notable of which, could be the questionable lyrical content of the groups music. A few tracks dabble in the ideas of stalking and other violent activities, yet vocalist Joe's voice doesn't inherently fit the ideas being portrayed, and as such it tends to come off a bit uneven almost as if he's trying to be something he's not. Vocally the lyrics are a bit unfocused too as the attention to them can feel a slight bit divided between the guitar playing and singing as the band is a three piece unit, perhaps enlisting another guitarist to allow full devotion and concentration to the vocals could remedy this. The only other strike against the band is that the almost unbalanced nature, there's disturbing vocal content but an overall timid or moderate flow to the music making for a less than airtight fit, the group does implement some elements of humor and doesn't try to be excessively serious but the music can at times try to be, and the two end up clashing. Overall this disc features well rounded ideas, good technical proficiency and an original sound, but falls a bit short of the mark with its tendencies to dwell more on the playful side of the band. Colonel Stem keep their music deep rooted in hard rock soil nurtured with an alternative groove, although not an entirely serious journey, the groups music is still an enjoyable escape from the more visceral groups sprouting up as of late, if there's a strain of heavy music that could come close to satisfying the whole family, this could quite possibly be it.
(3.5 / 5)