LIONS! TIGERS! BEARS!
Shallow Waters, Endless Depth
[Tragic Hero Records]
Verdict: 6/10

Back when LTB and Everyone Dies In Utah first signed with Tragic Hero Records, I actually thought LTB sounded the most promising. Then both bands released their debut albums and my opinion changed. It turned out that Everyone Dies In Utah had the more unique and entertaining sound, while LTB tends to fall short again and again during their debut. However, this isn’t to say Shallow Waters is a complete failure, because it isn’t. The generic and boring sections are complimented by some very original and cool sounding breakdowns from time to time. Take “F.I.N.” for example; half way through this track, the band starts doing some experimentation and branching away from their straight forward “scream bloody murder” formula. The result is very successful, leaving the listener wishing the band did this more often. The tempo changes and distant vocals add a lot of flavor to the song, making it both atmospheric and larger sounding. The short key work found in “The Most Interesting Man In The World”, as well as the electronics heard during “Vault 101”, also help in broadening things a bit more. While it is true the band seem to do a lot of these throughout, there are only a few brutal breakdowns that truly shake the speakers (take the beginning and ending of “12 Years and 2 Spoons Later” for a spin). What it all comes down to is LTB impress momentarily off and on, but ultimately fall short on the grand scale. Shallow Waters could use a lot of work to make it stand out more, but it’s still a decent first effort from a new band. Maybe these guys will have a much better run next time around. Their energy is pretty impressive, so if LTB found a better way to utilize it, they could become something much, much more down the road. – by Nathaniel Lay