A massive and thrashing EP release from Lowbau delivers a range of heavy rock soundscapes that incorporate everything from a garage or doom rock soundscape all the way through to punk rock and even a cinematic underbelly at times and it all comes together with this massive character that ends up being the biggest and most robust part of the entire thing.
The Still There Is War EP is packed with surprises around every corner, and throughout the unfolding of the record you start to get the idea that this could be a concept release as the songs seem to interconnect in different ways.
With all the different kind of tones that you hear on this record, between the southern rock feels, the thrashing and hard-hitting punk, the vast and ambient undertone of the cinematic styles, the sludgy sort of doom rock approach, and everything else that you hear, what actually ends up hitting you hardest is the energy level.
The energy of this record feels almost like a live performance and maybe these songs were actually recorded live on the floor so they can get this electric energy out.
It feels as though every member of the band is feeding off of each other on this record which again just makes you feel like it's done live.
Even if I'm wrong about that live on the floor thing, listening to the record certainly makes you want to go see these guys perform it in your face because if that kind of energy is captured on record this well, then seeing them live must be a real face-melter.
This record has such a varying songwriting approach but there's still this very confluent and consistent aspect to the record that really gets held together mostly by the guitars and the vocals.
Now, let me be clear. The drumming on this record is ridiculous and gives the whole thing a ton of drive, and the bass guitar work is perfectly done for this approach giving that little bit of extra edge as well so I think that the whole backbone to this band is actually the base guitar and the drums but, what I meant to say earlier is that the guitar work in the vocals are the things that keep the songs together in terms of putting out an EP.
There are no two songs that are alike but that guitar tone and some of the riffs let you know that it's the same record. The vocal approach is key and has this wild and rambunctious sort of punk rock feel.
Sometimes there's a crew of vocals happening at once, and other times there is just one main vocal on the forefront but whatever you get, it comes through with a slightly gritty but still melodic and very excitable approach which really balances out with the music perfectly.
You can't have a band with this kind of energy level and then have the vocals just not match it.
The vocalist does more than match the energy level of the band, he actually pushes everything even more so that the record reaches this point of massive sonic drive and the whole thing makes you want to either jump around the living room with your fists in the air, headband, or just sing along.
There is something strangely, blissfully fun about this record and that's part of what makes it so damn addicting.
You want to actually shout along.
This is a release that you need to listen to from beginning to end. If you listen to one or even two tracks out of the five that are on this release, you may get a little bit of a gist in terms of what to expect but it will not give you the full spectrum of what the EP has to offer as a whole.
You want that spectrum because it's awesome.
These songs are driving, fun, charismatic, excitable, colorful, edgy, and the whole thing just hits like a sucker punch to the gut. I mean that in the best possible way of course.
Definitely listen to this record when you can and don't be afraid to turn it up.
Remember where you heard it first.
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