Canvas certainly want to create something of their own, something new and I must say they are very successful in doing what they are doing. If I look back in the past I remember their first full length which was awesome and than also their split CD with Hard to Swallow which was so brutal and hellish that I couldn't even listen it. It seems that with each album they want to do something totally different and with this album they managed to do a huge step out. This is so chaotic!!! It's not that metal as it used to be because they used also some rock elements but otherwise this is total mess. Vocal is from time to time hysterical screamy but mainly it sounds like if the singer doesn't have a will to sing anymore. He's using some strange and very uncool technics of singing. Their songs are pretty long and it's like there are more songs in each song. Rhythms are very changeable. There is also lots of other elements in their music like piano, violin, flute, synthesiser, lots of samplers and even some rave. I must say that this is fuckin psychedelic art. It can be really dark and scary sometimes and their riffs are so strange that.....it's like some illusion from your worst nightmare. I don't know why, but when I'm listening this I'm thinking like this is music for hippies. Don't ask why!!! The lyrics are pretty reflecting with their music - they are very messy, emotional and written in a dark way.
HOUSEHOLD NAME RECORDS, PO BOX 12286, LONDON, SW 6FE, UK HHN@HOUSEHOLDNAME.DEMON.CO.UK

In my hands I'm holding booklet of this great band called Lariat. I was totally astonished when I read it. This is so real!! In their lyrics they cover mainly political topics and each song has also an explanation. But let's go from the start. Lariat are from America and I think this is their first full length. Their music is pretty cool but it gets bored with time. They play some kind of mixture between Trial, His hero is gone and Catharsis. The sound has a very full sound and the music is moving from mid tempo to fast parts. There is also lot's of double bass and a little metal influences. Their vocal is pretty rough and I don't like it that much. But let's talk about the lyrics now, because they are fuckin amazing. They start with introduction where they told us that we have to live our lives like there is no tomorrow and that we must start living like we always wanted to. Their first song is called ''Monsanto''. This song speaks about genetic experiments and that we will all soon become victims of this corporations. The second song is ''Thick as thieves''. When I read this song I was totally shocked. This song talk about an immigrant who was brutally killed by the police officers on his doorstep for nothing. Of course nobody of the cops was guilty. The third song is about the votes. This song could be the reason why I didn't go voting this year. Next song is for all the revolutionary kids. The fifth song is talking about out capitalistic bastards who just exploiting workers. In the sixth song they tell us that we have to support companies that share our beliefs. The seventh song speaks about the relation between America and the oil countries. They say ''As long as our boys don't die. We trade blood for oil''. And the last song is about the teenagers which are kind of forced to go to the army by the government. I think Lariat really did a great job here. This is a real hardcore!
LAST EFFORT RECORDINGS, DANKWART DREYERS VEJ 9, 5610 ASSENS, DENMARK www.geocities.com/lerecordings dkhczine@hotmail.com www.lariatheadquarters.cjb.net