Forever Ends Today - Room 237
Lockjaw Records - LJCD044 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
It always brings a smile to my face when local bands make steps towards 'the big time', which is why I'm making a rare contribution to the non-metal reviews section to spread the gospel of
Forever Ends Today. This Wolverhampton-based quintet apparently started life as your average pop-punk band, before expanding both their line-up and their musical vision to evolve into a triple-guitar post-hardcore act. They recently caught the attention of Lockjaw Records (home of
Midasuno and
Charger, amongst others), resulting in the
Room 237 EP (named, if my horror trivia doesn't fail me, after the room in the Overlook Hotel in which Danny Torrance meets the bathtub zombie granny in The Shining). Recorded at the Sam Sharpe Project (where my old band used to rehearse - small world!), the EP comprises six tracks (four 'actual' tracks, and two electronica/synthscapes by guitarist/synth guy Chris Goodwin).
The overall impression of the music is of some fresh-faced amalgamation of
Glassjaw's kinetic melodicism,
Hopesfall's layered, textural guitar work and the upbeat, commercial sensibility of modern pop/power punk. The near-traditional trade-off between slick, polished clean vocals and sore-throat screams make up the vocal presence of the tracks, while punchy, bass-happy production values give the heavier, faster moments a welcome kick, while the atmospheric synth interludes hint at a more expansive musical vision - perhaps if the synths were more fully integrated into the songs, we'd have a pretty fresh-sounding band here.
As it is though,
Forever Ends Today are talented songwriters with a knack for a memorable hook and a talent for writing intricately composed tracks whilst still holding on to a more accessible approach. 'The Fine Line Between Something and Nothing' is a particular highlight (and, I might add, one that has been added to my custom Burnout 3 soundtrack on the other half's X-Box), with it's pleasing clean-guitar introduction kicking rapidly into an adrenalised riff. Looking forward to hearing what they can come up with for their debut full-length!
7.5/10
Forever Ends Today's Myspace Site
Lockjaw Records Official Website
