There's something to be said about brevity. Had I heard a full length from AGE OF SILENCE by now, you would no doubt be reading some of the bitter rants and sarcastic quips that usually populate my reviews. But since this release is only three songs, I'm going to give these cats a big "bravo" for not completely boring me. You'll have to wait for the bitterness and sarcasm just a little.

It's no secret, I hate most new music. Even if I find a record I like, there are almost always cuts on the album that are filler. Just because technology has allowed for 75 minutes of music to fit on a CD, doesn't mean you should use up every last second. Before the advent of CDs, bands had just two sides of a record to give us the best that they had. Everything else wound up on the cutting room floor. Now, that editing process is gone. So any band that doesn't waste my time with lack luster crap gets a big thumbs up from me.

That's not to say that "Complications," is all that great. Vaguely doomy, vaguely gothy, vaguely NU, and somewhat progressive, they seem to be jacks of all trades but masters of none. You can just tell by the the pretentiously long song titles, dumb stage names, and the bleak design of the album that these guys must be a real joy to hang out with. But that's all I can really bust on them for. The vocalist listed only as Lazare has a strong voice, and gets kudos from me for actually singing! His distinctive pipes and interesting harmonies carry the first track "The Idea of Independence and the Reason Why It's Austere." (See what I mean about the titles?) The cool dual guitar harmonies and driving chorus save "Vouchers, Coupons and the End of a Shopping Session" from descending into FM modern rock oblivion. Musicianship and production is tight all around. Just when I was starting to get bored with this CD, it was over! Yay!

We clearly don't have another "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" or "In Rock" on our hands, but "Complications" is inoffensive enough to provide a metalhead the perfect background music for cleaning the house. Not bad enough to piss you off, but not memorable or distinctive enough to distract you from completing that much needed task, either. So grab a broom and start sweepin', you lazy bum!

- Broadbent

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/ageofsilence

RELATED ITEMS: No related articles at this time.