Killer BearMan, I haven't listened to a cassette in ages. Killer Bear from Moline, Illinois is a band comprised of three Steves: a Stephen, Steve, and Steven and some dude named Tom. How did a Tom get in there? Well anyway, they play a style that has far reaching influences, everything from screamo, and indie rock to metal, and punk rock comes through in their overall sound on these 5 tracks. I was expecting a lot worse but surprisingly, they make it work. It's definitely something not too many bands are attempting. The vocals at times, remind me of Between the Buried and Me, from their s/t days. I especially like how there is no use of any clean singing. The harsh screams make for a good contrast with the off the wall music that, at times is really driven by a melodic indie rock sound with catchy, and well written bass lines that really stood out. The sound quality wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, because cassettes have lo-fi quality, and that doesn't help if the actual recording wasn't good to begin with. Although it's not great, or even that good but it's bare able. It's just that the recording sounds very distant. But the bass tone sounds great, the drums aren't bad either. The guitars sound flat and lifeless though, and the vocal quality is definitely sub par. If these guys get these songs cleaned up and put them on a CD I could get into it. I don't really know what to make of the layout. I mean it looks like something I made when I used to make mixtapes when I was youngin', now I don't know if that's what the goal was with the design but if so they succeeded. The white cassette with the printing of the bands name and tracks was a nice touch though. I can't stress enough, the importance of including lyrics because the vocals are undecipherable and the music is only one half of the equation. With tracks titled, "Having fun never seemed so dull," which is pretty dope, I would like to know the basis of the title.
Rating: 2.8/5
Songs worthy of replay: Veterans
Thesis: These guys definitely have a knack for writing catchy and creative songs, and as I mentioned the bass playing really strengthens the overall feel and sound. I would love to hear these songs re-recorded. Keep it up guys, just get better recording next time around. Pretty good stuff.