Local Reviews: Spoken For

Local Music Reviews

Spoken For
A Life in Flames

Self-Released
Street: 08.13.10
Spoken For = Tool + The Police + angst

These boys definitely have some very recognizable influences from Tool to, perhaps unintentionally, The Police (tell me you don’t hear it on the opening riff of “No More Blood on my Guitar”). They are taking their cue from some great musicians. It’s young and it’s pained—they are certainly taking advantage of all the pent-up frustration that comes along with being an adolescent group of boys becoming men. This album is a great starting point for them. The recording quality isn’t bad—the production emphasizes some of the characteristics I would have wanted played down, like scratchy guitar distortion and other yet-to-be-refined techniques. But those are the ingredients for metal, so really, they are on the right track to where they’re trying to go. Overall, I am impressed with what these guys are putting out. As a new band just starting out, they have plenty of time to finish piecing together their own identity.