{"id":30425,"date":"2013-03-12T14:40:26","date_gmt":"2013-03-12T14:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-lay-it-on-the-line-crowhurst\/"},"modified":"2023-01-24T15:18:17","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T15:18:17","slug":"review-lay-it-on-the-line-crowhurst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-lay-it-on-the-line-crowhurst\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Lay It On the Line – Crowhurst"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LayLay It On the Line <\/a><\/strong>have already graced Already Heard before; they have been part of our \u201cRecommends\u201d feature<\/a> and got a brilliant reception for their EP \u2019\u2026And They Stole the TV\u2019<\/a><\/em>. For people not in the know,\u00a0LIOTL <\/strong>are a breed of hardcore, combining roaring vocals with a blend of thrash, metal and punk-inspired musicianship. \u2018Crowhurst\u2019<\/em> is their debut full length for Fire Engine Records<\/strong>, a concept record about Donald Crowhurst, a man who jumped overboard during a solo voyage around the world back in 1969.<\/p>\n

From the concept alone and a brief look into this Crowhurst fellow, you can tell that LIOTL <\/strong>are an interesting bunch, choosing to stray away from typical hardcore topics, they are trying to deliver songs in a much more creative, whimsical way as opposed to the straight forward styling of other acts in the genre.<\/p>\n

Musically ‘Crowhurst\u2019<\/em> is pretty standard; it has some brilliant riffs mixing between high-end guitar melodies such as opening track ‘1968\u2019<\/em> which starts with some heavy chugging before going on an all-out punk assault. It is heavy too, the added gang vocals which act as a bed to the lead and boost the track.<\/p>\n

The thrash-inspired opening riff in ‘October 31st<\/sup>\u2019<\/em> is frantic and how it should be played, it is a track that goes from frantic to constructed; again it ends with group vocals adding to the lead line, it is used a number of times but it is that breed of hardcore and it works.<\/p>\n

The ‘galloping\u2019 style of ‘Tetley\u2019<\/em> again adds another dynamic to this band, it shows that they are willing to break boundaries within their own genre and add to it.<\/p>\n

The lead vocals are consistently brilliant, it again adds another dynamic, it isn\u2019t that blend of shouted and spoken word, it is a distinct roar, which has obviously been perfected and practised as it never lets it\u2019s guard down.<\/p>\n

On initial listen I must admit this release didn\u2019t do much for me, nothing really jumped out at me however giving it time it really does grow on you. Lay It On the Line <\/strong>have taken elements from a number of genres and combined it to make their own unique brand. At first it doesn\u2019t seem to work but after a few listens it blends well.<\/p>\n

3.5\/5<\/p>\n