There’s an odd trade-off that exists when a band tries to really diversify their sound and talents. Although such extra instrumentation is valued as standing out and above the rest of the pack, there’s always the risk that people are going to have a tough time adapting to something slightly less than conventional. WAFFLEHOUSE* I suppose could be called a hardcore band – the music is often quite heavy, the vocals shift between singing and screaming, usually with two or more vocalists, and at times, I am reminded of both SKYCAMEFALLING and COHEED AND CAMBRIA. However, such a description would negate much of the band’s obvious jazz influences in timing structures and percussion, which I think it is what allows this band to truly strike a nerve. Unfortunately, a few minor problems plauge “Olympia” from living up the band’s genius. First, at 48 minutes long (well, slightly less if you don’t count the dead space for the hidden track), playing intricate, loud music, grates on the skull, even if much of it is somewhat melodic. Secondly, many of the songs fail to differentiate in sound from each other (with exception to boring instrumental), creating the appearance of this disc acting as one giant jam fest. The production quality is overall, pretty strong, but I keep feeling that vocals get lost in the powerful guitars, and the drums could certainly use a bit more ‘pop.’ Lyrically, topic matter is all intelligent (heck, the lead track is called “Leviathan” – read the book!), and the last song, “I Watch TV” is a remarkably introspective look at some of our own personal idiosyncracies. WAFFLEHOUSE* are definitely a cool band, but if maybe this disc was trimmed down to seven songs or roughly 35 minutes of music, it would hit a lot harder and with a more cohesive punch.

Forge Again

www.forgeagainrecords.com