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Pete
Pete |
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One listen to the gripping debut from Jersey-based Pete and you can't help but want to duck for cover… in the immediate sense, the music just lunges out at you and besides just grabbing you by the shirt collar, giving you a few intense shakes to get your attention, it calmly lets go and slowly smoothes your ruffled feathers leaving you feeling riled and relaxed all within a moments' passing. I like this band… but why Pete? I mean, what's wrong with Dave or Alex or something? No matter, these guys are a throwback to the elemental Hard Rock of the early nineties notably; I'm getting a solid dose of early STP during their "Core" moments, briefly soaking up a few early Sponge qualities as well… Pete, similarly striking, at times haunting, and always packing a heavy yet melodic punch big on the backing vocal element and altogether groove-driven without hashing out the Nu-Metal/Aggro-Rock clichés that are quick to wear your own nerves as does the bands' reputation. "Sweet Daze" is an opener worthy of Rock radio recognition with its quick darting motion and quick jab in the Deftones/Tool direction but the finest one/two combination takes place quickly after with "Drugstore Alibi" and my pick for top album cut of the ten, "Burn," which while doing just that, brings a fiery chorus to the mix that will go down well with the first few rows of onlookers who'll do about as much while still embroiled in their fist hurling frenzy… "Untied" comes through as one of the most elemental of the group with a slow, humble, nearly AIC dreariness before kicking the pedal for a furious burst of verse but a bit more of a plodding chorus than I would've liked… "Awake" is a near dead-ringer for almost any Tool tune you can think of before again unloading the heavy artillery amidst an angrily-driven verse, catchy and altogether disturbing, here's an epic-like adventure that might've driven Freud himself nuts had he known what was waiting up around the next century bend. Pete, plus we'll throw in another of their kind to lately hit the ground running, Stereomud, both seem intent on bringing Heavy Rock back to life without the dizzying side-effects of genre-jumping, picking apart the simplicity of the early nineties fashion statements and forging ahead with fresh new designs of what's been lacking in today's heavy music. Released by Warner Bros. Records Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |