-Greg’s Take-
Time to get lined up and once again tell your friends, the boys from St Albans are back.
Once again Miles Howell, Taylor Howell, Brett Howell, and Harry Collins have struck gritty, edgy, all-out balls to the wall rock; this time it is in the form of Octopon.
The latest EP follows the dynamic and unbelievably catchy Tell Your Friends with, yet again, four tracks. The fact they may or may not have sold their souls to continue to release such addicting, powerhouse rock again and again does not bother me when I sit down hit play and turn it to eleven.
Octopon does not, even for a moment, let up from grinding rock ‘n roll. Distorted lyrics, heavy bass, concussing drums and a plethora of power chords are the formula to Dark Stares, this is nothing new I know; but again I must say, I am hooked.
From “Bad Machine” on through “Blackfyre” Dark Stares has taken a swig of quintessential rock, swishes it through the teeth of don’t-give-a-shit and spits it into the sink of everything you thought you knew about rock. Hit play, turn it all the way up, be honored if this blows out your speakers and feel badass. My opinion of them is only elevated by “Shinigami.” The heavyweight of this EP, it drills deep into your core and gets your rocking like some possessed person bound to draw stares. This is the kind of rock that makes you want to drive slowly through town windows down, dark sunglasses on, watching the heads turn. Most importantly, the guys from the UK are hard rock without controversy. They don’t rely on blood and shock to sell their style; their music does that for them.
The Howell/Collins mixture should be sold in mass quantity to the world over if only to improve the ideas being produced. Octopon is a sharp, gritty distorted brilliance with edges sharp enough to cut through the thick façade of modern rock. The one and only fear I have for Dark Stares is, if and when they release a full length album, I’m not entirely sure mankind holds the capacity to absorb that much unfiltered rock. Until then get your hands on this EP and learn what rock is all about. Then, catch your breath and start it all over again.
