Album Review on Absolutepunk.net
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Eta Carinae - Eta Carinae
Posted on 03-01-07 by Tom Good
Eta Carinae- Eta Carinae
Borrowing the name from one of the most luminous stars in existence, one would expect similarly bright and powerful things from Texas’ Eta Carinae. However, sometimes bands do not live up to the magnitude promised by their names and unfortunately, this is one example that falls into that category. But that is not to say that the debut self-titled EP is bad by any means, it just leaves something to be desired after listening to the final product.
What I heard when listening to Eta Carinae was a lot of potential that was not yet fully realized. All of the pieces of a solid album are here and although there are some genuinely exciting moments, what the EP lacks is a sense of cohesiveness and consistency. Take the opening track “Don’t Mistake This For Indifference” as an example of what this band is capable of. Utilizing the stop-start rhythms found on Illusion Of Safety era Thrice, Eta Carinae deliver a truly enjoyable, if slightly generic, melodic hardcore song. The drums are strong and the guitars fit the atmosphere created perfectly. The breakdown in the middle displays that they are able to craft appealing rock that is actually fun to listen to. “Mirrors” is another example of Eta Carinae at their absolute best and drenched with promise. Delay heavy guitars give way to pulsing bass and simple, yet effective, drums as sincere vocals are sung over top, not screamed. This lack of screaming is welcome as it suits the music and frankly, it is not what I was expecting to hear based on the opening 10 seconds of the album. Certain sections of “Mirrors” even contain some of the most fist-pump inducing moments since “Eye Of the Tiger”.
If all of the songs on Eta Carinae were the same quality as the two previously mentioned, I would be writing a much different review. “Steady Hands” could be a 30 Seconds To Mars ballad and ultimately ends up sounding forced and out of place. I can’t help but feel like I have heard it done before elsewhere, and while this unoriginality may not be a bad thing, it is frustrating to witness because of the unique songs found elsewhere on the EP. “Instruments of Precision” suffers from similar problems with parts sounding extremely vanilla and all around safe. It sounds as if they were trying to write something according to the current successful formula. It is when they stray from this formula that the band truly succeeds as evidenced by the experimental “Mirrors”. There is, however, definitely something intriguing about the band, who are building a steady fan base despite the lack of a record label. Fans of Saosin and Silverstein will probably eat this up if they are craving something similar. Eta Carinae is a first effort and this could just be a band finding their stride, so do not write them off yet. While satisfying at times, the band does little to distinguish themselves from their peers, although with a little more direction and evenness in songs, you could be seeing an excellent debut full length from Eta Carinae when the time comes.
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