The Last BarbariansIt was a little over a year ago when my band's vocalist, Steve, introduced me to these guys. A couple of months later we played a show with them in Delran, NJ. Not many people were there but these guys put on one hell of a fucking show, they sounded tight and put fourth as much energy as they would've in front of 500-1000 people. Ever since that show I have been an avid supporter of all that they do. Since that show we have played out together numerous times and it's always nothing but comradery whether it's showing love during performances or smoking nice bud after the show and talking with DR and Walters about Blood for Blood.
These guys are extremely difficult to place in a genre but my best attempt would be funk-punk infused with rock and metal elements. One thing I am certain about is that they love what they play and it shines through during their performances. Their bassist Walters is roaming all over the place as he tears up the bass, DR is head banging like a mad man with sweat pouring out of his pores, and Adam is always tight and on point with his drumming, and Mike, well that mother fucker is just a psycho behind the mic.
Aside from the demo that they released this is their first attempt at releasing an EP. The EP consists of 7 songs that total over 21 minutes; the songs vary in length, some are as short as 1:10 and others over 5. Their formula is relatively simple in the fact that they don't concern themselves with songs structure as much as they do just writing a killer song, when the song feels done it is done, it's all feel with these guys.
Some members of the band may even disagree with me here (in fact, one time at about 5am I think DR did haha but I was pretty wasted so I could be wrong) but even though their songs each seem to have their own identity, they still fit into a greater whole. Even though one song may sound much different than another it still sounds like The Last Barbarians if you catch my drift. A lot of that has to do with their vocalist Mike who as mad as he is, he's like the glue that binds everything together. He really gives these guys an even more unique and distinct sound by his vocal approach. The guy can scream his balls off but he can also do the scream-sing thing and he can also just flat out sing. He has the strange ability of being able to sound pissed off yet smooth and soothing, weird right?
In terms of the musicians involved they are all stellar in their own way. Their guitarist DR is an extremely versatile player. He can play some sweet ass solos, he can lay back with a sweet harmony or he can bring the crunchy grooves. Their bassist Walters also has versatility as a player. He can play straight up and follow along with the rest of the guys or he can roam out in the mix by himself whether it's via a sweet hand tapping riff that is found in "Life In General" or busting out with a nice slap and pop riff. And Adam is a veteran drummer who has spent time in various rock type bands and really knows how to beat the shit out of his skins and fill out a song.
As with everything these guys do, it's straight DIY and their recording is no different. The recording was done by their drummer Adam. The mother fucker knows how to record a band that's for sure. The mix of the album is stellar, all of the instruments have perfect presence. The guitar, bass, and drums all have the perfect amount of presence in the mix. No riffs or drumlines get drowned out and the vocals have supreme placement. In fact I love his recording style so much that my band is currently in the process of recording with him.
The only hindrance that can be found with this release is the packaging. And anyone that reads this site knows I am a stickler for certain things when it comes down to packaging and layouts, especially layouts devoid of lyrics. The other major drawback, and perhaps even bigger than the lack of lyrics is the absentee song titles. The packaging is a jewel case with a black tray, front cover insert and no tray, which is obviously where the tracklisting would traditionally be. What they should do in the meantime is to come up with a backside design of the front cover insert and include the tracklisting and credits because it would be difficult to include the lyrics, unless they turn the insert into a two panel insert.
Rating: 4.8/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: "Life In General", "(Beware) The Gnomes" & "Drive"
Synopsis: I'm sure by reaching the end of this review you may feel it was a bit biased and I'm not going to lie, it is, but that's because these guys are awesome. With so many bands that sound alike these days these guys stand out, which isn't something many bands can say and their influences leaves me to believe that these guys could craft any kind of song they want while still making it their own. The only thing that held this back from being a 5 out of 5 is the problems with the layout but if the layout is the only problem with a release a band is definitely on the right track.
Check out these links!
The Last Barbarians MySpace
Download the L-Cast Compilation featuring "Drive"