TOECUTTER - Toecutter CD EP

Bear in mind before I start, that this isn't meant to be a finished article on sale to the public - which is important bearing in mind, what I have to say. Right from the start of “We Are Glass”, it's good news – a cross between Bob Mould's old band Sugar and Funeral For A Friend – and, trust me, that's a great combination. They've got the urgency, intensity, drive and hi-octane songwriting of Sugar, mixed with the hollering sensibilities and indie-rock sensibilities of something like FFAF. The guitars drown you in sound while the rhythms let rip as lead guitar glides up and down, allowing the lead vocal and football terrace harmonies to come tearing through the middle of it all, on an opening track that sparks into life and really grabs your attention. “Carrion Flower” takes things down a few notches at first before the smoking riffing begins but this time the band stay largely at mid-pace even though the intensity levels are similar, as a song ensues that's more contemporary in its almost hardcore emo-like anthemic path, lead vocals soaring all over the top of a dynamic sea of rolling drums, solid bass and buzz-saw guitars, more wordless backing vocals adding to the depth and strength, a sort of chorus coming into view from time to time as the song works but doesn't quite grab you as much as the previous one. “Age Of Sand” continues the good work from the opener with a rampaging intro from the guitars, bass and drums, this time morphing into a rather flat sounding vocal, and I think that's not intentional either, but all the same, it's a good solid song, performed with gusto and holler, more hardcore than indie, but with touches of emo in there too. At times the vocal goes almost to Lemmy like tendencies – sadly, not often enough as the song desperately needs a much better vocal performance to work as well as it should. Finally, “Razoreater” mixes howling eruption with occasionally brooding dynamics to produce something that's a mix of almost hardcore metal and indie ballad, an interesting dynamic, and one that does actually work once you get used to the idea, as the guitars are piled on, the intensity rises to boiling point and the rhythms thunder, a vocal that ranges between heartfelt and hardcore, the icing on the cake. This band have got the ideas and are halfway to the execution – first and last tracks are great – rest needs work. Watch this space...I hope.

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