The City Divided
Garry from SAN PR recently sent through details of the debut EP, The Endless Moment, from The City Divided, a Hertfordshire based 4 piece. With influences ranging from Iron Maiden (cool!) to Enter Shikari (yeah ok), and Dead By April (dunno) through to Busted (hold on what…), this promises to be an EP packed with intriguing guitar work and infectious hooks, so I thought I’d best check it out!
Opening with Laughing there’s an immediate sense that this is going to be a catchy EP, opening with a soaring lead vocal which will grab your attention from the off and make you want to hear what’s coming next. Launching us into a heavy combination of intricate guitar work, soaring vocals, rumbling bass and pounding drums, there’s a real sense of the likes of Elliot Minor going on here, but with a fresh and new approach which is going to endear these guys to a lot of people. The guitar work is well put together, the sound clean and powerful, and the tracks catchy from start to finish – there’s really everything here which you could want from an EP, and we’re only on the first track!
Higher Ground once again continues the idea of intricate guitar work combined with a powerful rhythm section. Elevating the track through the powerful vocal line, this is another track which is going to get your attention from the off and make you want to hear what’s coming next. My only question with this track is the lower growling vocal – it simply doesn’t work. The shouting and singing both work really well, but the lower style growl leaves a mark on the track and really lets it down, but it’s a minor point. Watching The World Burn slows everything down after the all out raucous approach of the earlier tracks, adding in a synth to combine with the echoing opening vocal lines. Dark and emotional from the off, this is a track which clearly holds meaning to the band, and the feeling simply oozes out of the speakers as it plays out. This track is my own personal favourite from the EP, there’s just something about the way it’s written and how the band have put it together – a moment which is going to stand out for sure.
Closing with Waiting At The Gates there’s one last hurrah from the guys before the EP comes to a close. This time, the roaring and growling works and makes this a track which is to be reckoned with, ending up as a track which combines the hard and soft approach with aplomb. To me, this sounds like early Trivium style stuff, as in their first album when they could actually write songs without going all ‘we love Metallica’….but I digress – the similarity is the way the track’s written and performed, showing of a heavy side and suggesting that The City Divided could indeed be a force to be reckoned with!
From the off this EP had my attention, the musicianship within the band is clear and their ability to write tracks doesn’t need any more mentioning, it’s awesome. Throughout though, The City Divided have kept adding little surprises and moments which you won’t expect, meaning it’s not a simplistic or easy EP, instead resulting in one which pushes boundaries and makes you think about what you’re hearing – and it’s damned good to hear. Highly recommended and a band that you seriously need to keep an eye out for!
To find out more about The City Divided, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Laughing there’s an immediate sense that this is going to be a catchy EP, opening with a soaring lead vocal which will grab your attention from the off and make you want to hear what’s coming next. Launching us into a heavy combination of intricate guitar work, soaring vocals, rumbling bass and pounding drums, there’s a real sense of the likes of Elliot Minor going on here, but with a fresh and new approach which is going to endear these guys to a lot of people. The guitar work is well put together, the sound clean and powerful, and the tracks catchy from start to finish – there’s really everything here which you could want from an EP, and we’re only on the first track!
Higher Ground once again continues the idea of intricate guitar work combined with a powerful rhythm section. Elevating the track through the powerful vocal line, this is another track which is going to get your attention from the off and make you want to hear what’s coming next. My only question with this track is the lower growling vocal – it simply doesn’t work. The shouting and singing both work really well, but the lower style growl leaves a mark on the track and really lets it down, but it’s a minor point. Watching The World Burn slows everything down after the all out raucous approach of the earlier tracks, adding in a synth to combine with the echoing opening vocal lines. Dark and emotional from the off, this is a track which clearly holds meaning to the band, and the feeling simply oozes out of the speakers as it plays out. This track is my own personal favourite from the EP, there’s just something about the way it’s written and how the band have put it together – a moment which is going to stand out for sure.
Closing with Waiting At The Gates there’s one last hurrah from the guys before the EP comes to a close. This time, the roaring and growling works and makes this a track which is to be reckoned with, ending up as a track which combines the hard and soft approach with aplomb. To me, this sounds like early Trivium style stuff, as in their first album when they could actually write songs without going all ‘we love Metallica’….but I digress – the similarity is the way the track’s written and performed, showing of a heavy side and suggesting that The City Divided could indeed be a force to be reckoned with!
From the off this EP had my attention, the musicianship within the band is clear and their ability to write tracks doesn’t need any more mentioning, it’s awesome. Throughout though, The City Divided have kept adding little surprises and moments which you won’t expect, meaning it’s not a simplistic or easy EP, instead resulting in one which pushes boundaries and makes you think about what you’re hearing – and it’s damned good to hear. Highly recommended and a band that you seriously need to keep an eye out for!
To find out more about The City Divided, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls