Albums

Album Review: Fei Comodo

[Album: They All Have Two Faces]
[Label: Small Town Records]

In the lead-up to this, their 8-track mini-album, Fei Comodo have been slavishly touring the length and breadth of the country with top calibre acts like Fightstar, Enter Shikari and InMe. So far, the response to their mix of roared screamo (with extra rampant guitar and melodic vocal) and post-hardcore has been very good indeed. Judging from this release, a mere taster of their abilities, it’s easy to see why.

Opener ‘The Rest Will Follow’ gives you 30 seconds of slowly building intro and detached drumming before the band launch into the spitting force of their single ‘Break The Ice’. An elongated roar accompanies meshed guitar and drums which sound off before falling away into a rippling melody. To this Marc Halls innocently sings along before he finds a suitable place to let forth a shattering cry of conviction. It’s an easy-on-the-ears vocal style that’s reminiscent of Brigade’s Will Simpson but also blessthefall‘s Craig Mabbitt with his slightly nasal delivery.

The guitars of Mike Curtis and Will Phillipson stand out exceptionally well alongside this with mind-blowing riffs on ’The Cost Of Living’ and ’Just Another Day’. There’s also plenty of grunt in the breakdown, probably too much for Halls’ roared ripostes which lack a little strength and fade into a hoarse whisper if hung out there for too long. It could do with being louder in the mix, sounding almost as if it’s being yelled from the back of the recording studio.

Listening to the opening bars of the awesome ‘Watch Them Feed’ is akin to being dropped slowly into a lion’s cage. A hefty roaring with galloping guitars prepare you for the feeding frenzy that will inevitably follow. The track has one tasty lick, to which it cleverly returns to over and over, and then finds an accompanying lyrical hook which digs in deep - “It could happen to any of us” warns Halls and you just know you’d better take note.

Sure, the material here is found a little wanting in areas of originality and diversity and is at times a little over-powering, but that doesn’t mean it’s not lacking in huge amounts of promise, delivering punch and verve, and stand as a fine example of what to expect at their live shows. Still with their noses firmly on the touring grindstone (supporting August Burns Red in November and then with Blessed By A Broken Heart) I reckon Fei Comodo is a name you’re going to be seeing quite a bit of.

For Fans Of: blessthefall, 36 Crazyfists, Brigade

Band Link:
Fei Comodo

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