Play 90 second soundbite of 'Earthbound' @ 'CD quality'
Combining energetic guitar chords, sensitive drumming and resourceful bass, Epsilon Red blast their way through 'Earthbound' and 'Sundive' on this demo. Jeffery's often pained sounding vocals allow the mature lyrics to be readily accessed over the 'dirty' sounding fx laden guitar whilst the punctuative rhythm section provides a keen and empathetic backdrop.
Their press pack states, "Cross Placebo with The Foo Fighters, add a dash of Muse, a bit of The Jam and a hint of Rush, and you'll get Epsilon Red." Well. I can sort of see where they're coming from but whereas the aforementioned have it down to a fine art, Epsilon Red still sound somewhat naive and grungily grubby. That's not an insurmountable problem coz Epsilon Red sound totally dedicated to their music and what this demo lacks in mixing and production it makes up for in commitment to the Epsilon Red cause. Sure, the recording could be better which would clean up the guitar sound and provide better dynamics to give more clarity and open up new possibilities instrumentally. And personally, I'd like to hear less of the scorching guitar chords and more of the intricate, chilled guitar work that gets a short outing on 'Earthbound'.
I like what Epsilon Red are trying to do but I can't help but feel that there's still a way to go yet. The two songs here show great potential; they're well thought out, quite punchy, gutsy and pretty persuasive. Epsilon Red have massive belief in themselves and with that belief, time and hard gigging they'll grow and mature into a much better outfit.
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