I’m struggling both conceptually and musically to keep up with what ENDICOTT is trying to accomplish on their Equal Vision debut. Here’s what we know: ENDICOTT formed about four years ago in upstate New York; used to be a pretty heavy metal/hardcore band; now they sound like a rudimentary screamo-rock band; and “The Words In Ink Don’t Lie” is a concept album based around a kidnapping. Hmm… Musically, this isn’t bad – the songs churn by at a healthy pace, the drumming is crisp and lively, and the guitars fill in the band’s sound nicely. However, there’s nothing at all distinctive about what ENDICOTT is doing, and for some reason, more so on this release than on the endless litter of other bands aping the same sound, it just bothers me here. That’s not to say that “The Words In Ink…” is a total wash though – the fourth song, “One Bleeding To Death” is an absolute standout as it hits much harder than the rest of the material, and the follow-up fifth tune, “Chain Letter” is pretty neat too as it grinds along with a sinister guitar hook. Other interesting musical moments are interspersed about, but there’s little that I would call memorable. As for the “kidnapping concept” – I’m just baffled why a young band playing somewhat ordinary music would introduce themselves to a larger audience through this extended picture. Oh well – I guess it’s better than more songs about troubled high-school romances and references to cut wrists. Meh.

Equal Vision

www.equalvision.com