ENDO
SONGS FOR THE RESTLESS
DV8/COLUMBIA
LINKS:
endomusic.com
Endo is a prefix for within/inside. Frontman Gil Bitton describes Endo as “a nuclear blast, an explosion of emotion--total possession.” So does their upcoming album, Songs for the Restless live true to the mushroom cloud Bitton claims the band’s sound to be? Pretty much.
The Miami-based band seems to have the bellowing, vocals that bands such as Chevelle and Nickelback have tried to pull off. The difference? Endo seems to take their depression and convey it more as anger. The CD’s first songs, “Clean Sheets” and “Simple Lies,” really shine.
“Clean Sheets” starts off like a Staind song with deep, depressing vocals from Bitton and continues into a higher pitched scream, changing the mood from “What the hell is wrong with me?” to “What the hell is wrong with you?” “Simple Lies” doesn’t have as much screaming, but it’s definitely a song you’ll hear once on the radio and just keep humming in your mind all day. If Endo wants to really sell some records, they should release this song first. It starts off ordinarily enough with guitarist Eli Baker dishing out a simple riff and short spurts from drummer Joe Eshkenazi, finally reaching Zelick (just Zelick I guess) on bass and Bitton releasing out some soft, painful lyrics. “Lack of faith/A great imagination/A perfect perception of guilt-ridden photographs of you.” But then song goes into the chorus of Bitton beautifully belting out “Simple lies are what we are/And what we have won’t hurt anymore.” It’s definitely the most memorable song on the album and a pretty decent one at that.
That’s not to say the other songs on the album suck. The majority of them are actually pretty good. “Simple Lies” just has the best chance at grabbing the masses and making them pay attention. There are actually some pretty good songs--hell, the third and fourth songs, “For You” and “Remember Us” nip closely at “Simple Lies” for being radio friendly. “In Time” starts off strangely, with Bitton’s voice replaced with a nasal mall-punk sound. When did New Found Glory get here? It only lasts for a while though. Bitton compensates with some quality screams and pretty much reverts back to his regular voice for the chorus. Then they take things down a notch with the ballad, “Circles”. The rest of the album is some nice homegrown, Grade A rock. Hell, some of the songs, like “I Won’t Die” and “Ruckus,” are actually somewhat reminiscent of early System of a Down.
Songs for the Restless sounds pretty decent. The album has a worthy collection of pissed off rock songs and isn’t afraid to throw a decent ballad or two. Judging by the lasting effects of “Simple Lies” and the quality of the other songs to back it up, it’s not inconceivable to think a lot of people will invest in this album.
---- Codell Rodriguez