Review Engrained - Deep Rooted 2010

The first thing that strikes me when I hear the intro of Engraineds first album is how alike it is to Bryan Adams summer hit Summer of ’69. That feels kind of odd, actually, even though it doesn’t last for long. As soon as we tone out the intro and enter songs like Dead Mans Hand and See Me Running we can recognize this 20 year old hardcore band for what they’ve become known for – mumbly vocals and skate punk-guitars suited to a totally mad drumming. Actually I don’t think we get even a second of silence from drums once we reach the second song.

As the main writer on hardcore here at Hallowed I’ve seen other know-it-all reviewers have a go at bands that sounds very much okay and give them low grades. So, when I finally get the hands on a hardcore album before everyone else it’s with a band I’m not totally pleased with. Therefore I had low expectations, almost as low as Britney Spears mental ability, but it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised. I think the first half of this album is probably the best Engrained ever have done with a nice beat and flow as well as rhythm. As Balloo would say just before he pulled Bagheras tail “feel the rhythm!”

Unfortunately, everything that flames isn’t hot and in Engraineds case they battle once again with their usual issue – the production. This is not something isolated to Engrained, most bands in this genre doesn’t seem to bother about making albums that sounds good, looks good and feels professional. Instead, most bands feel cheap, kind of half-hearted and with spare time musicans that play more for the fun in playing than to be good at it. When I look at the band pictures I don’t change my mind about it, seeing how the band dress up in jeans jackets, baseball caps and band shirts (from other bands). And they look pretty far fetched to be rock stars. Just yesterday I saw this documentary about Axl Rose. Now, I’m not saying anyone should be like him or even that he is a good musican, but the guy has his own mobile loge in which he always have fresh fruit, a bigger drink supply than most liquor stores and a training gear and everything. He even has special machine that helps him prepare for the stage by supplying oxygen, air moisturizing and EKG in front of his giant make up mirror – all to be at his very best when entering the stage. Engrained feels as far away from this as is humanly possible, this even though they have almost as long career as Mr. Rose.

’Deep Rooted’ is however Engrained first full-length album and if you go through the pile of singles, EPs, promos and complilation appearances – this is by far the best this band has ever done. But somewhere around the tenth song the quality makes a pretty big dip in which it stays until the final song, the ballad For All… which leaves a nice finish on the first full-length attempt by these Germans. The biggest problem is that it still sounds like we’re listening to a cheap demo or low-budget EP and this is something a full-length-releasing band should have left already. Then I also have a big dislike for the vocalist Fenne, but his voice feels like a small problem when compared to the production. Sure, hardcore usually have pretty shitty sound, but this is enough dirt for the whole genre.

Engrained is either hard punk or soft hardcore, but either way they have the right flow in the music and the rhythm in most songs are so nice one can oversee the sound issue. I don’t feel we need to stain Engrained only because of their sound and the half-hearted vocalist, but maybe the tree on the cover should get some marks from the fire at least. At least to show the band it’s time to clean it up a bit.

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Engrained Deep Rooted

Engrained
Deep Rooted