April 21, 2009

Album review: Madina Lake

Attics To Eden

2 / 10 The rock/metal fraternity can be credited for much – stylish deployment of scarves, a certain gallows humour, a certain humouring of Gallows – but blanket good taste is definitely not one of them. Chicago’s Madina Lake come as heavily garlanded as the vicar’s favourite cake at the village fete, but ye gods, for anybody for whom puberty is but a memory, this is leagues beyond dull: tired, grimacing riffs and horrible, anthem-by-numbers vocals. On the rare moments they come up with something interesting, like the lilting ‘Through The Pain’, their bombast nerve twitches and they ruin it. And don’t even start me on the sixth form ‘I am SOOOO, like, in pain’ lyrics. For the sake of Thor, get the Mastodon LP instead.

Pete Cashmore

More on this artist:
Madina Lake NME Artist Page
Madina Lake MySpace