Since October

When you think of heavy rock music, what do you think of? What should come to mind is the scratch of distorted electric guitars, gritty vocals blaring with emotion, and deep, powerful drums played hard. It is raw, loud, and unashamed. But there is a trend nowadays in the rock industry that is unfortunately giving the label a bad name. For some bands and producers out there today, there is this underlying itch to want to make rock polished in order to make it marketable. Thus, defeating one of the original purposes of rock all together. They want to polish the distortion, overproduce the vocals, and overall craft the songs into potential gold-makers by turning them into epics and ballads seemingly in the hopes of forcing the emotion in case it wasn’t there in the first place.

Enter the band Since October- a decently talented group of guys with an in-your-face message of hope and a desire to rock and rock hard. Their new album This Is My Heart is the result of what happens when you take the honest, edgy emotion of hard rock and try way too hard to commercialize it. If you check their artist page on their label Tooth and Nail’s website, there is even a line in their bio about their songs being commercialized. Think Linkin Park without the DJ electronics and not as smart lyrically or musically. There isn’t a question that this album is very personal to the band or that the lyrics are not bled right out of singer Ben Graham’s heart, but the same cannot be said about producer Travis Wyrick (P.O.D.). It’s like he set out to make them as generic as possible from the beginning, as if that would make them more marketable. The result is some decent material that is shined up to fit sugar-sweetly in as many people’s ipods as it can.

There are some highlights on the album that work with this kind of mindset. “My Heart” is the opening track, and it sets the stage for what could be a decent rock album. It is heavy enough and shows, with rounded edges, where this band would like to head. But then you turn to the next track “Beautiful” and despite Graham’s up front vocals, you wonder if it’s just the same song on repeat. Thus, the rest of the album follows suit and most of the songs just bleed together leaving the listener with a monotone feeling throughout.

The boys hit some notable edge in songs like “Disaster,” but the waiting disaster is in tracks like “In This Moment,” an electric ballad that comes out forced and generic, and “Waiting,” which plays like a bad Bon-Jovi ballad that is just an overproduced smorgasbord of acoustic guitars and weakly emotional vocals. One notable standout from the same-song-over-again feel of the album is the track “Part of Me” which seems to be the best from an almost indistinguishable lot. Basically, if “Part of Me” had been the only track with the tone carried by the rest, then it would have been just fine left at that.

It remains uncertain why some in the industry feel that to market a rock band, you have to make them as perfectly rounded and produced as a band like Creed. Who is to say that the raw quality that heavy rock calls for can’t sell? It has worked before, yet it’s as if it feels too daring, like too much of a chance. But isn’t that what rock is all about anyway? Still, the market will remain bombarded with sugar coated “rock” songs that all seem to want to channel Creed from their much-needed oblivion.

See, it didn’t work for Creed. And it doesn’t work for Since October either.

↓ 2 comments

#1 Andrew Greenhalgh on May 29th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

I’ve gotta admit, I’ve got a soft spot for these guys in that they’re hometown boys from Bradenton. Plus, I had the chance many moons ago to have them play a fifth quarter for us when I was a youth pastor at a small church in town. They’re all good guys, very talented and passionate about their faith.

That being said, after reading over Mark’s review and Matt’s interview with Ben, I was able to sit down for a few minutes with the record and get a taste. While I appreciate comments from both sides, my thought is that yes, it is radio-friendly. But, it’s also good.

I realize that sounds like I’m toeing the line or whatever but that’s pretty much it. For my money, it’s a hair more raw than some but definitely more polished than others. I can’t fault the guys for polishing up their sound both for marketing purposes and for simple clarity. They’ve gotta make a living and, as both Mark and Ben point out, they’re okay with a more “commercial” sound because that’s the music they dig. Turns out I dig it too.

Thanks to both these young men for their interaction, thoughts, and their continued efforts.

#2 Mark Wingerter on May 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

So, I actually JUST read the interview with Ben from Since October, and I hope he gets a chance to read my follow up, it’s kindof addressed to the band.
First off, I don’t mean to offend, I think a review is a review and not an assessment of character. When I review things, as I hope most reviewers would, I have to look at it from as broad a perspective as I can, relate it to the gigantic monster that is the music market. So, I don’t often talk on the emotional rollercoaster that is being in a band and writing a record, and bleeding on stage. I applaud your heart, your passion, your unashamed hope, your reserve, and your honesty. Without doubt.
When I heard the record, I could see all of that.
But in my opinion it sounded like something I’ve heard before- a very good effort to be heavy shined up way too much. My review was mainly a commentary on how the music market is essentially “scared” to put a record out there that is raw, and to clarify, by raw I mean not editing out every little error like an accidental scratch of the fret, the gritty snap of a snare, the growl of the distortion, I think that all adds character. It just seems that too often heavy rock is cleaned up, in a sense, because the thought is it will sell better. And I think it misses that dirtiness and attitude.
So, my question is, why can’t it sell just as good being as raw as it might be live on stage? It’s really a question of production.
For a couple of examples (better than Creed) let’s look at a band like Evanescence. Their first single “Bring Me To Life” that featured a great backing by Paul McCoy from 12 Stones. Everybody knows that song. But when it’s played, even on rock radio, the screaming that makes the song more raw and heavier, is turned down and inaudible and it basically neuters a really great song.
WHY? Because someone is scared that his scream will keep someone from buying a record. That’s a bad production decision for the sake of selling records.
Take another example: POD. Fundamental Elements of Southtown I think is their best record because the production of the record is grittier, chunkier, bassier. Even a hugely marketable song like “Rock the Party” has that beginning distorted riff with the delay that is just chunky and heavy.
So, my critique, guys, is not of your personality, your honesty and emotion, or your heart. And I really dig a lot of the songs on the album.
But what I just couldn’t get over is the production which I felt was too rounded and too polished for your sound. And no offense to Wyrick as a person, I’m sure he’s an excellent guy, and I am really impressed that with his track record, he took a shot and gave you guys a chance. That’s almost unprecedented in this market and I think it’s incredible he did that. We need more chances taken like that… but, his production on the album, I felt needed a critique. One of my favorite rock producers is GGGarth (Mudvayne, Rage, Project 86). Look at P86’s Drawing Black Lines or …And the Rest Will Follow. Great selling albums each with a great raw quality to them… I don’t mean to nitpick but I’m just giving an example. I certainly understand I can’t make as great a sound as Wyrick can from behind the board. Just, you know, I felt it was a little safe for this record.
And really, in the end I am just one reviewer with one review. I haven’t seen you live yet, but I’ve heard that you play an amazing show. And again, I’m not trying to offend or offput… because you’re the ones bleeding on stage as they say. And that right there is every inch rock- as heavy and raw as it gets.

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