THE DEVIATES “Time Is The Distance”
It’s nice to see that after Epitaph has diversified so much with their roster, they still like to put out some raging melodic hardcore. DEVIATES really don’t do too much different than their contemporaries, 98 MUTE, PENNYWISE, BAD RELIGION and even THE OFFSPRING, but for what they do, it sounds mighty fine and with bucket loads of energy and precision. I’m a total sucker for that palm-muted guitar sound (think Fletcher or Noodles), and there’s gobs of that on “Time is the Distance.” That, combined with the stellar vocal workings of lead crooner Brian keep the DEVIATES with an accessible sound that would light up a room in a hurry. Brian’s range is wide and the hints of agression that fall within leave just the right amount of anger in the mostly dark and painful lyrics. Some of the bass work is shockingly quick, especially on the standout tracks, “The End,” and “No Mistake.” It’s pretty clear as one makes their way through this that the band has a lot of talent. Unfortunately, there are some pitfalls – the songs are rather long for my attention span, with most clocking in at 3 minutes, and the recording (done by Darian Rundall @ Stall #2) leaves the drums sounding flat and more than secondary to the rest of the rhythm section. Overall though, if any of the aforementioned bands appease you, then the DEVIATES have a lot to offer. Maybe not the most innovative band I’ve heard, but certainly on the more impressive side of ripping skaterock.
Epitaph Records
