Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of Shatter Effect
There are certain things, like Christmas and puberty, that you wait for with your eyes closed and your fingers crossed.
Since I first saw Shatter Effect belt out their ‘musical marmite’ (as I once described them) I have been itching for an LP. And now, admist the spots and Santa hats in my mind, the day of reckoning is upon us. We Are Warriors is out on digital release. Shatter Effect have an album out.
Opening with ‘Come Again Soon’, the trademark wall of electro synths (think John Capenter meets Fat Boy Slim at CBGBs) and tongue in cheek is clear from the off. Rebecca Davies’ vocals lead from the moment the records starts, with “Don’t you look different with clothes on,” being the first words we hear.
It’s a powerful build, like the 80’s escaping from a vacuum packed early Metallica concert, into the twilight hours of a mid 90’s Manchester warehouse. Rave Vs Rock, basically. I’ll stop with the metaphors.
‘Afraid’ follows in much the same suit of dark armour – Davies’ vocals walking confidently over a brusied pulse and dance beat – before ‘Make Me Hate You’, a prominent representaive, steps up the aggression and gives the pedestrian a chance to run. And roar.
The dark irreverence continues with ‘L.E.E.D.S.’, with what I can only imagine is an on-the-road acronym that after the line “I don’t know what’s left of me. You can fu*k it if you want,” I’m not sure I want explained – before the two track AM of the midday marker, flesh out some real depth in this 12 track debut. ‘Zinna’ is as piano ballad as we’re going to get, still with the strength that the band/title would deserve/denote, before ‘Getting Higher’ marks the zenith and real stride of the album.
The second half of We Are Warriors plays itself out with much the same agenda; strong, melodic, powerful builds and breaks – all the while firmly lead by Rebecca Davies’ vocals. You should hear her live too. A few nuggets unearth themselves, such as the masterfully stripped back ‘Finest Hour’ and the old skool Rock riff in ‘Broken Toys,’ but overall this generous debut is a declaration of a band doing what they do best.
My only gripe, and it’s my journalistic responsibility to find one, would be in the production. We Are Warriors is a record of a band who play live – Shatter Effect have such a strong identity, it would have been exciting to see what would come out of a studio that had one to match.
But this is me reaching for a counterpoint, whilst underpinning the premise that you should go and see Shatter Effect live. And with a tour taking them across the country until November 31st there’ll be a couple of chance to do just that before Winterval.
The rest can be settled with album No#2 please; with any luck this is just the beginning.
‘Make Me Hate You’ – Shatter Effect
We Are Warriors, the debut studio album from Shatter Effect, is out on digital release from Friday 25th September – with a UK promotional tour starting at 93 Feet East (Fri 25th) and The Sunflower Lounge (Sat 26th Sept).
For more on Shatter Effect, including full tour details and online purchase points, visit http://www.shattereffect.com/